Hope, Gloves & Redemption (Documentary)
Picture:
C Sound: C+ Extras: C- Program: B
Mickey
Rosario used to be a street gang leader many decades ago, but he and his wife
Negra have a gym, partly the result of the Mickey’s successful boxing career. Now, they are working to pass on the values
and discipline to the young men and women of New York’s inner city in Jules &
Gedeon Naudet’s compelling documentary Hope,
Gloves & Redemption. Boxing has
always been a strong subject for feature films (Raging Bull, Body & Soul,
Undisputed, the Rocky franchise) and TV shows (Resurrection Blvd.), but it is now becoming a favorite of the
documentary world.
Like the
awesome Split Decision (a fine
documentary reviewed elsewhere on this site), the story is as much about our
world today and the people we get to meet.
By giving young people a chance over a dead end life, the Naudets offer
a fine and necessary alternative to an ugly street life that cheapens growing
up and is virtually hopeless. As it
always has, boxing is always a metaphor for life and the most basic levels of
struggle and survival. In this case,
Jules & Gedeon are there to offer wisdom and guidance that no book or
internet website is ever going to be able to hand these persons growing into
young adulthood. It gives them an outlet
for anger, a way to reduce stress, and strategies for fighting that can easily
be applied to real life with the right effort to protect a person physically
and especially mentally.
It is a
ticket to self-esteem that also breaks the cycle of poverty in the mentality
department, but this is not a mere formula.
It is the story of America and what really, truly makes this
country great: triumph over tragedy.
There are no guarantees, but they all do better and are better as a
result. Hope, Gloves & Redemption is very aptly titled and more than
earned the Grand Jury Prize it got from the New York Independent Film Festival,
a festival that becomes more and more prominent all the time.
The full
frame image is shot on analog NTSC videotape and is a bit soft, but that is to
be expected form the format. With that
said, this is shot very well, the way we do not see digital High Definition
used enough. The Dolby Digital 2.0
Stereo does a good job of capturing the mostly word-based, is simple and
clear. Extras include a text section
about both the directors and the making of this program, both which are worth
reading.
There is
also a great section on the Rosario that tells their personal story
and how an early meeting and the right choices made their life better. It shows that this is also a love story that
is so authentic and true that they can pass it on literally thousands in the
next generations. They have real
character, and that alone is the reason to see this work. Surprise yourself!
- Nicholas Sheffo
