AFI World Premiere: Halle Berry's "Bruised"
Sunday, November 14, 2021 at 10:00PM 
by Eurocheese
Bruised gives us Halle Berry behind and in front of the camera, telling the story of a former MMA fighter who has been down on her luck for some time. When her life is complicated by the return of her son, she is forced to get her priorities in order and address the demons of her past. Berry spoke about revamping the script – originally written with a young white protagonist in mind – to reflect her own vision with the writer’s assistance, and it’s clear this was a passion project for her.
Does that passion translate to the screen? Yes, but this can be both a curse and a blessing...
The film opens with scenes that have our central characters quickly elevating their arguments, without enough context to invest the audience first. Bruised builds these high emotion scenes to the point where subtlety is lost, and it distracts from the story. Early on, I was concerned this would make for a tough sit.
Sheila Atim in "Bruised"
In its quiet moments, though, the film manages to land its punches. Danny Boyd Jr’s expressive performance as Justice Jackie (Berry)’s son grounds the film with purpose, and Sheila Atim wrings raw emotion from her role as Jackie’s trainer. The film takes on sexual abuse, alcoholism and homelessness. The strongest scenes of the film give us Jackie connecting one on one with a supporting cast member, looking for the human touch that has been missing from her life.
Is Berry’s central performance a knockout? Much like the film, it’s uneven but has its strong moments. Her physical transformation sells the idea that this woman can go toe-to-toe with the best in her field, and the fight scenes are well choreographed and executed. This was clearly a labor of love, and as a crowd pleaser, the fight scenes will have the audience invested. Berry was moved to tears in her closing Q&A with Ava DuVernay and spoke about her determination to bring this story to the screen.
Netflix should be pleased to have a film that audiences are likely to enjoy, and I will be curious to see the response when it becomes available on the platform later this month. Ultimately, I can’t say I was won over, but I do think this film will find its audience. These are times when we all need a little inspiration, and when Bruised is at its best, it brings that energy to the screen. C-
AFI, AFI Film Festival, Bruised, Female Directors, Halle Berry, Netflix, Reviews, Sheila Atim, sports, streaming
Reader Comments (13)
I am hopeful this is successful especially for Berry. She really is undervalued as an actress and her talent doesn't seem to be the first thing people talk about when her name gets brought up. Even her historic Oscar win seems to be seen in a lesser light (it wasn't that great of a performance, Kidman or Spacek should have won, she only won so history could be made) Her acting ability is not a fluke- there is real talent there, but she rarely gets the chance to prove it. I am hopeful for her that this movie helps.
I am hopeful this is successful especially for Berry. She really is undervalued as an actress and her talent doesn't seem to be the first thing people talk about when her name gets brought up. Even her historic Oscar win seems to be seen in a lesser light (it wasn't that great of a performance, Kidman or Spacek should have won, she only won so history could be made) Her acting ability is not a fluke- there is real talent there, but she rarely gets the chance to prove it. I am hopeful for her that this movie helps.
"...elevating their arguments..."
Sorry, what does this mean?
Sorry, Working stiff, that wasn't very clear. The characters are immediately shouting in their scenes, so I meant elevated volume and tone. The beginning was melodramatic.
I really thought Berry was back in the Oscar race but with middling reviews i'd be surprised if she did.
I am a Spacek voter with Berry in 2nd place.
2001: Obviously Naomi Watts should've been nominated an won. Of the nominees, I'm torn between Kidman and Spacek. Slight lean towards Spacek.
Berry: Agree w/what other have said. She has the talent, rarely gets to show it. And her performance in Monster's Ball was just too histrionic for me. She's very good-to-excellent in Losing Isaiah and Bulworth. I think she rarely gets the opportunity to work with directors that can coax that A+ performance out of her.
Berry's performance in MB is incredible. She won NBR, the Silver Bear in Berlin, and SAG. To say she won only because she's black is insulting. Roger Ebert was a huge champion of her performance as well.
I agree that Halle deserved the Oscar for MB, best performance of the lot! I also have read the reviews for the film, every critic seems to think she shines in the role, so she should be in. We have seen several actors nominated for films considered just "okay".
I finally got around to seeing In The Bedroom earlier this year and maybe I just wasn’t in the right headspace but I was rather bored. I’m happy with Halle’s win - if she lost to anyone, I’d want it to have been Nicole.
I really wanted this movie to be her Oscar comeback twenty years after her historic win, but this middling review doesn’t give me any hope for that fantasy. Congrats to her regardless for her directorial debut.
Had Introducing Dorothy Dandridge been released in theaters and not on HBO, she might have upended the Bening vs. Swank conversation. As it was, she beat
- Sally Field, Judy Davis, Holly Hunter, Gena Rowlands (Emmys)
- Helen Mirren, Kathy Bates, Field, Davis (SAG)
- Mia Farrow, Lee Lee Sobieski, Mirren, Davis (Globes)
Working stiff -- yeah. that's always a bummer when that happens. I also think Drew Barrymore in a similar case would have been at least Oscar nominated for GREY GARDENS.
@ Nathaniel
Yeah, but since Grey Gardens presented a classic two-lead situation, which one would have been pushed in Lead and which in Supporting? Lange did win the Emmy, and Barrymore took the SAG and Globe, after all...
@ working stiff - they would’ve put Drew in supporting and she would’ve gone head to head with Mo’Nique. She’s the only person that I think could’ve put up a fight against her. Simply bc of her smashing Little Edie, and the iconography of not only her role but her family.
Drew may have been my favorite actress as a child, but I still would’ve wanted Mo’Nique to win (duh), but at the very least Drew would’ve finally had her Oscar nod.
Can you tell I’ve thought about this before? 😅