I, Tonya (2017)
The only thing I knew about this was that Margot Robbie was starring in it. I had no knowledge of Tonya Harding or the whole assault case which the script centers around. I was expecting a regular biopic, so wasn’t entirely prepared for the unique mockumentary style combined with perhaps unreliable narrators. It was an interesting choice though, because there were several times during the movie where I thought something along the lines of “Did they actually say that?” - and within the framework that the whole thing might just be Tonyas own version of events, it works quite well. It is also a bit of a problem I think, because if we can’t trust what we see on screen, then what is the purpose? It is a chance for Tonya to redeem herself by setting the story up with her as the ultimate victim? Like, the mothers abuse and the boyfriends abuse was horrifying, but I don’t know what to believe of it. The whole movie has a very subjective feel to it, which seem to be the point, and I am sure it will challenge viewers who already have an opinion on Tonya and her story beforehand. But for me that have no knowledge or opinion on the events, it is a bit weird to watch something that might has well been pure fiction - while still being very much structured around and told in a manner where it is a depiction of true events. So I liked the movie overall as a unique and different way of doing a biopic, but I didn’t have much emotional connection to anything that happened to these characters.
Rating: 3.5