Im Ring

Chicago’s South Side is notorious for its street gangs and shootings. For Kenny and Destyne, the boxing gym provides a shelter that shields them from the threatening everyday presence of violence and crime. Spurred on by their ambitious fathers, the ring becomes a kind of prison for the two boys, robbing them of any sense of freedom with its strict regime. At the same time, boxing represents their only shot at a better life – if only they have the talent and discipline to truly make it. For eight years, director André Hörmann accompanied the two adolescents on their rocky road marked by hope and setbacks, creating a dense and emotional portrait that relates different ways of asserting one’s self in a complex world. (Berlinale)