Since helming the Academy Award-nominated “Winter’s Bone” in 2010, Debra Granik has enjoyed shifting between a further dabble into feature-length filmmaking (“Leave No Trace”) in addition to documentary work (“Stray Dog”), which, when coupled with her eclectic decades-strong filmography clearly showcases an overabundance of ability and flair for skillfully adapting to any subject that comes her way. Another comfortable entry on her resume exists in “Conbody VS Everybody, “a six-part docu-series with a concept unlike anything she’s tackled prior while continuing to demonstrate her knack for creating something compelling while also supremely relevant to this day and age.
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At the show’s core lies a simple idea: Conbody, a bodyweight-focused gym owned by, as well as fully staffed with, men and women who were formerly imprisoned. Coss Marte, the gym’s founder, spent six years incarcerated on a litany of drug convictions, during which time the genesis of his future business would take root thanks mainly to a variety of workouts he developed as a means to regain his health over the course of episodes four and five, which were provided for review, critical elements of his business plan can be seen immediately, as he ventures back behind bars to meet with a group of inmates in various stages of their respective sentences. It’s here that a motivational speech and a run-through of exercises, one of which involves a wall sit while miming the act of taking the wheel of a prison bus, lead to inquiries from several group members about the possibility of employment upon their release. with this being one of Conbody’s attributes, the impression is quickly felt that these people, all of whom face major near-future roadblocks in finding work, won’t be cast aside akin to applications overflowing an HR desk. Marte’s care for both his business and staff couldn’t be clearer, and as the show follows him. At the same time, he attends a seminar meant to hone his acumen or takes his gym to the streets of his home base nestled within New York City in an effort to recruit more members, his motivation to make Conbody a success truly shine.
Even his team of trainers receive their own moments to demonstrate their own contributions: scenes showing the group discussing how to attract more people to Conbody, the disparity between low-income neighborhoods and their residents’ wish for better nutrition, and their own stories as to how they came to find themselves locked up in the first place along with obstacles they face on the outside are another large focus of the film. Recidivism is a hurdle anyone who’s undergone time in prison faces, with the statistic that the majority will return to imprisonment within three years following their release, impossible to ignore, but as “Conbody VS Everybody” takes time to show Marte appearing on a morning news program or launching Conbody pop-up fitness centers at such places as Saks Fifth Avenue is it evident that he’s created a safe, secure environment where these former inmates have everything to gain just as much as they still have something significant-their own freedom-to lose. Marte remains honest throughout; at a team dinner where he’s introduced to new member Syretta, he mentions the benefit of having a legitimate side hustle as a way to provide additional income while getting one’s feet wet at Conbody; it’s obvious his words aren’t referring to a simple a financial safety net but as a way to keep his staff from slipping up once again. The odds are stacked against them; however, as the size of his workout classes increases and his customers go out of their way to express their positive feedback as to the experience, it does seem that Conbody is that life jacket they need; additional scenes showing Marte’s interactions with his young son and his brother Christopher running for city council could easily feel shoehorned into a documentary seemingly filled to the brim with plot components. Still, fortunately, this isn’t the case here, with every scene outside of the core Conbody elements fitting in nicely and contributing to the overall narrative well.
As episode four opens, footage showing Barack Obama touring a prison while commenting on the fallacies of the criminal justice system sets the tone as if to directly tell audiences this isn’t just a film about another fitness center in a market oversaturated with competitors. What Marte and Granik have brought to life is something unique, a place that seems to quickly justify the need for its own existence as the episodes unfold and a documentary that stands out by taking its time in showing the successes, struggles, and everything else surrounding Conbody in a way that’s easy to digest. It’s a viewing experience that leaves behind a feeling of anticipation for whatever Granik decides to tackle next and a genuine wish for the best possible future of this gym. [A-]
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