A premiere at last year’s Venice Film Festival is now coming to theaters next month. Robert Kolodny’s feature debut The Featherweight, which stars James Madio, Ruby Wolf, Keir Gilchrist, Stephen Lang, Ron Livingston, Lawrence Gilliard Jr., Shari Albert, and undefeated professional featherweight boxer Bruce Carrington, is based on the true story of the winningest American boxer in the history of the sport. Ahead of a September 20 release, the first trailer and poser have arrived.
Here’s the synopsis: “Set in the mid-1960s in Hartford, Connecticut, The Featherweight presents a gripping chapter in the true-life story of Italian-American boxer Willie Pep the winningest fighter of all time—who, down and out in his mid-40s and with his personal life in shambles, decides to make a return to the ring, at which point a documentary camera crew enters his life. Painstakingly researched and constructed, the film is a visceral portrait of the discontents of twentieth-century American masculinity, fame and self-perception.”
I said in my MoMI First Look preview, “With the never-ending glut of biopics, particularly those centered in the world of sports, it can often feel like there’s not much new territory to cover. While Sean Durkin’s The Iron Claw recently showed how a singular vision can elevate the genre, another film taking place partially inside the ring breathes new life into the biopic. Robert Kolodny, who worked on the cinematography team of All the Beauty and the Bloodshed and Procession, makes his feature debut with The Featherweight, capturing the comeback of worn-out boxer Willie Pep (James Madio) facing mounting family and business pressures in his life. Taking on a compellingly slippery conceit, the film is shot as if a documentary crew was following Pep’s every turn, including direct-to-camera confessionals from the boxer. The gamble offers a fascinating narrative bridge and one that, thanks to Adam Kolodny’s 60s-esque grainy cinematography, keeps us immersed in every step of his journey.”
See the trailer and poster below.
