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Christy | TIFF 2025 | Review by: Gal Balaban

 


David Michod’s boxing biopic doesn’t have the same kinetic energy his other works may have, and follows similar beats we’re used to from biopics time and time again. Sydney Sweeney impresses as an athlete with a hard exterior and a vulnerability we come to discover later, while her poisonous dynamic with Ben Foster as Christy’s husband Jim Martin is the key to the film.

Supporting players such as Katy O’Brian and Merritt Wever also have a lot to give the film, but especially in the middle part, the movie loses momentum while covering these familiar beats. Michod offers the film a very clean and boring look compared to his past works such as Animal Kingdom and The King, though the score is quite strong. The film’s pace and overall impact are heightened by a final act which offers a shock that will surely resonate with many audiences in a visceral way. Though it doesn’t always rise above many of its genre’s cliches, it packs a punch in its end that does justice to its subject material and may generate conversation — though getting there takes some time and energy.

3.5/5


Review by: Gal Balaban

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