Frustrating when a documentary about such fascinating subjects can’t manage to do them justice. Luchadoras refuses to lean into the context of these women- their surroundings and their histories- and they end up feeling obscured by more than just their masks. Many of the emotional moments are so staged as to feel unimportant, the only true passion emerging during their fights, again obscured by the slow-motion and editing. It’s an attempt at a message movie that does a disservice to its obviously lion-hearted subjects. And they do shine brightly. Baby Star. Mini Sirenita. Miss Candy. They were the reason I liked this documentary. But I wanted to love it.
Frustrating when a documentary about such fascinating subjects can’t manage to do them justice. Luchadoras refuses to lean into the context of these women- their surroundings and their histories- and they end up feeling obscured by more than just their masks. Many of the emotional moments are so staged as to feel unimportant, the only true passion emerging during their fights, again obscured by the slow-motion and editing. It’s an attempt at a message movie that does a disservice to its obviously lion-hearted subjects. And they do shine brightly. Baby Star. Mini Sirenita. Miss Candy. They were the reason I liked this documentary. But I wanted to love it.
