Review: T-REX, Young Boxer on the Right, if Rocky, Road

"It was just something I liked to do," explains Claressa Shields, aka T-Rex.

What she likes to do is box, which sets her apart from her high school classmates in Flint, Michigan (better known to documentary film devotees as the hometown of Michael Moore). Even at the age of 16, however, Claressa is sufficiently self-aware to know she that must always keep improving if she is to succeed as a boxer.

That may be why it looks like the weight of the world is upon her muscular shoulders as the movie bearing her nickname begin. Her downcast attitude in front of a handful of reporters and supporters is touching, and then's revealed she won the fight. But the 2012 Olympics in London, England -- where the first Olympic medals ever in women's boxing will be awarded -- are just six months away, and Claressa has a lot of work to do.

T-Rex, a new documentary directed by Drea Cooper and Zackary Canepari, chronicles Claressa's life in the crucial six months leading up to the London Olympics and then follows her afterward to see the effect it had on her life. Claressa's story is not so different, perhaps, from many other teenagers who hope to capitalize on athletic achievements as a steppingstone to a better life.

It's no wonder that she is happy to devote herself to boxing as a means for dealing with a less than ideal home life. Her father left the family when she was 9 years old. Her mother is given to excessive drinking, according to both Claressa and her 14-year-old sister Brianna. They live in a very modest home in a very modest neighborhood in a city known for its working-class status.

Claressa would rather box (and train to prepare to box) than attend school or study, though she does pretty well with her grades. She has gained a mentor, coach, and manager in Jason, who runs a boxing club. Jason freely admits that he was not in favor of female boxers until he met Claressa, but that her perseverance, attitude, and hard work won him over. Now he's become a father figure to Claressa, with the support of his wife and their young on, and Claressa is shown to be a member of the family.

The situation begins to change, however, when Claressa travels to China for the Olympics qualifying competition. Jason cannot afford to accompany the young woman overseas, for financial reasons, which creates a rift between them, since he had promised he would go. For the first time, Claressa must make final preparations for a fight without Jason at her side. How will the young woman respond?

Outside the boxing ring, Claressa must also contend with her feelings for Rell, a young man who has been her sparring partner. Their relationship is slowly developing into a romance, which does not please Jason one bit. Fearful of the distracting nature of a romance -- and the possibility that Rell will get Claressa pregnant and then abandon her, as he admits having done to someone in the past -- Jason forbids Claressa from seeing Rell anymore, with rather predictable results.

Claressa also must deal with conflicts between her mother and her father, Clarence, who has returned to the picture with his current wife. Everyone says they love Claressa and want what's best for her, yet it's impossible for them not to entertain dreams of benefiting financially if she manages to win the gold medal and then, inevitably (in their dreams) cashes in from endorsements and sponsorships.

It's a heavy load for anyone to deal with, much less a young woman just turned 17. Over the course of T-Rex, that's the point that emerges. She merits attention for her athletic abilities, yet what is really being tested is the strength of her character as she becomes an adult, something for which she must ultimately take responsibility.

T-Rex is, then, a coming-of-age story, in progress. What will Claressa make of her life? At the moment, nobody knows, including Claressa, but on the basis of this finely-made documentary, she's on the right, if rocky, road.

Review originally published during SXSW in March 2015. The film opens Friday, June 24, at The Made in NY Media Center by IFP, 30 John Street, Brooklyn, New York, 11201.