Fight Like a Girl

After escaping from a rebel group that held her captive, 19-year-old Safi (Ama Qamata) finds herself living on the streets of Goma, where she gets a job selling fish. However, everything changes when legendary boxer Balezi “Kibomango” Bagunda (Hakeem Kae-Kazim) sees her defending herself one night and takes her under his wing. Training as part of a women’s boxing team, the fighters work to compete in an upcoming championship. Written and directed by Matthew Leutwyler, Fight Like a Girl serves to highlight the ongoing conflicts in the Congo as well as the inspirational work carried out by Bagunda, who was recently killed during a violent clash. It’s an ambitious underdog tale that weaves together themes of community and resistance. It’s carried by stirring performances from the whole cast, although its strengths are undercut slightly by a rushed plot.

Beginning with scenes of Safi being taken from her village, images that will haunt her throughout the rest of the film, the filmmaker doesn’t shy away from the violence these women have been forced to endure. Other characters, including Bagunda and Safi’s fellow boxers, share their own stories of struggle and hardship to further outline the extent of the conflict. Not only does this create a sense of kinship between the ensemble cast, but it also gives them a reason to fight. Aiding these heartfelt moments are the captivating turns from Qamata and Kae-Kazim, the latter dominating the screen with his charismatic presence. Leutwyler’s decision to cast the actual women these characters are based on (including Clarck Ntambwe, the real-world inspiration behind Safi) adds an effective layer of realism to events.

Despite everything this film does so well, it races through its two-hour runtime. Major plot beats are skimmed over as the script works overtime to cover the various subplots and thematic points that comprise the grand story it sets out to tell. It’s a testament to the entire production that this movie was able to get made, given the country’s situation. 

Fight Like a Girl is a bold, dramatic undertaking that tells a remarkable true story. A superb cast conveys the feature’s messages with a genuine sense of authenticity, but an uneven pace detracts from its overall effectiveness.