TIFF Review: ‘The Fire Inside’ is a Powerful Sports Story with Fantastic Performances

Training for athletic success requires both skill and the resources to devote both time and money to it. It’s a trying commitment that means focusing on little else and making a number of personal sacrifices. Veteran cinematographer Rachel Morrison makes her feature directorial debut with The Fire Inside, the inspiring true story of a Flint, Michigan teenager who became the first American to win back-to-back gold medals for boxing. It’s a film that focuses just as much on Claressa Shields’ home life and journey to greatness as it does her competitive feats.

Shields (Ryan Destiny) makes her interest in boxing known from an early age, showing up to the gym where trainer Jason Crutchfield (Bryan Tyree Henry) works and proving her talent and determination. Being the best is her goal and she’s ready to work for it, but she does much better with Crutchfield, who doesn’t possess the necessary credentials to be by the ring when it matters most. Shields has what it takes but struggles with distractions at home, which include being kicked out of the house by her mother and dealing with her father, whose release from prison presents another person who wants to get something from her when she wins big.

This is a conventional sports drama, but one that takes the meteoric accomplishment set out at the start – competing and winning at the Olympics – and builds a story around it focused on what it means for its protagonist. She talks about how she wants to buy a house for her family with the money she wins but then can barely afford to pay her mother’s rent, something that’s important to her despite how she treats her. This film lives in reality, and Shields also finds it difficult to adopt the public image she’s encouraged to put on to attract potential sponsors, preferring instead to tell reporters that she likes boxing because she gets to beat people up and make them cry.

Expressed sentiments like that are what make Shields a formidable lead character, and she and Crutchfield have a fantastically watchable dynamic which includes frequent sarcastic barbs but reaches much more serious, hurtful territory when they’re both feeling betrayed and putting everything they have on the line without appreciating the sacrifices the other is making. Destiny, who has previously demonstrated her musical talents in the series Star, transitions to lead film roles with this absolutely terrific breakthrough. Recreating the boxing matches and the training that leads up to it is impressive enough, but Destiny conveys everything that Shields is, full of spirit and completely aware that she’s the best at what she does. Winning an Olympic medal isn’t enough, and she’s going to change her life. Henry, an Oscar nominee for a 2022 TIFF premiere, Causeway, is a wondrous scene partner for Destiny, showing just how much Crutchfield invests of himself into this passion project, blending humor, heart, and an occasionally unhealthy dose of negativity.

Morrison, Oscar-nominated for her cinematography work on Mudbound, has a clear directorial vision that speaks to her many years behind the camera. Working from a screenplay by Oscar winner Barry Jenkins, Morrison molds a sports movie that ensures that the scenes recreating Shields’ big moments in the ring feel vital and realistic, but always return to where Shields comes from and the mentality of her representing Flint in her international journeys. As the first female cinematographer to earn an Oscar nomination, Morrison is no stranger to breaking boundaries, and, like Shields, she’s not stopping there. After directing a handful of television episodes, Morrison’s first feature film is a knockout, bringing its awe-inspiring protagonist to fabulous and unforgettable life.

Movie Rating: 8/10

Awards Buzz: This film’s Christmas release with Amazon MGM Studios behind it may just make it a contender, both in acting and technical categories. Henry’s recent Oscar nomination is helpful, as is Morrison’s reputation in the industry.