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-