James R | On 14, Sep 2019

Director: Jessica Hynes
Cast: Jessica Hynes, Liv Hill, Anita Dobson, Christopher Fairbank, Alice Lowe
Certificate: 12
Watch The Fight online in the UK: Apple TV (iTunes) / Prime Video (Buy/Rent) / Rakuten TV / Google Play / Sky Store

Jessica Hynes steps behind the camera for this understated but hard-hitting drama, which takes us into the tough world of Tina, a mother of three who keeps getting getting served tough knocks. And so she takes up boxing in a move to let out her frustration and prepare for what might be coming her way.

The moving blow behind it all, though, is the truth that she’s already fighting every day to stay on top of everything – whether that’s dealing with her arguing parents or her well-meaning but often absent night-shifting husband, Mick (Shaun Parkes). On top of that, there’s the fact that her eldest daughter, Emma (Sennia Nanua) is being bullied at school.

The bully in question, Jordan (Liv Hill), ultimately takes Tina back to her own past, as we’re introduced to Jordan’s mother, Amanda (Rhona Mitra), who went to school with Tina. The looming conflict brews slowly, and Hynes swings blows and demands to be trained with convincing aggression, as Tina braces herself. The result is a worthwhile reminder that letting off steam is healthy and important – and that communication and compassion, rather than physical means, are often the best way to do it. Hynes, who delivers a strong performance worlds away from her familiar, funny presence, directs with strength, tenderness and warmth, crafting a well acted domestic drama that rings with authenticity in its portrait of everyday rage.

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