First Match (2018)
Storyline
Hardened by years in foster care, a teenage girl from Brooklyn’s Brownsville neighborhood decides that wrestling boys is the only way back to her estranged father.
Directors
Writers
Cast
Allen Maldonado, Elvire Emanuelle, Eisa Davis, Colman Domingo, Curtis Lyons, Thaddeus Daniels, Jimmy Gary Jr., Kim Ramirez, Jharrel Jerome, Jared Kemp, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Shunori Ramanathan, Antonio Ortiz, Jeanette Branch, Kamika Desrosiers, Travis Raeburn, Tyson Sheppard, Leronne Kornegay, Jae Ponder, Terrence Thomas, Roger French, Kande Amadou, Tom Fauvell, John Luke Destefano, Alejandro Arturo Ortiz Alonzo, Julito McCullum, Alyma Dorsey, Teniece Divya Johnson, Toccarra Cash, Sean Patrick McGing, Jorge Cabrales, Niahlah Hope, Jénel Stevens
Trailer
Reviews
98
IGN
At its worst, First Match is a gripping drama centered on the relationship between a teen and her estranged father. At its best, it’s an emotional ride with a soul. Its inevitable praise is a testament to the powerful performances therein.
80
Newman has pretty serious filmmaking chops: She shoots action cleanly, coherently, with an eye for the poetry of a well-executed suplex and the brutality of a back alley brawl. Her strongest work, though, is seen in her characters and in her lead.
75
This is a movie about where strength comes from, who takes it from us, and how we get it back. It’s familiar territory, but First Match is such a powerful coming-of-age story because Monique makes us feel like she’s the first person to ever set foot there.
75
But there is much to like, and pay attention to in First Match. It’s a film of small moments.
70
Emanuelle manages to make us care about this bullying girl without pleading for sympathy.
