So, you think you’ve caught up with all of this years awards nominees? Guess again. The Indie Spirit Awards has plenty of pictures that might not be on your radar, but are among the best that 2017 had to offer. The quieter winter month of February is the perfect time to catch up with some of those gems, and “The Cage Fighter” is a great place to start.
Directed by Jeff Unay, and nominated for the Truer Than Fiction Award, the documentary follows Joe, a forty year-old facing a handful of personal issues and struggles, who finds a place to release his emotions — in the ring. However, his choice to fight puts his health at risk, as well the bond he’s trying to maintain with his family. Here’s the official synopsis:
When life hits him hard, Joe Carman punches back. Newly 40, Joe juggles long hours working in a boiler room, an ongoing custody battle, his wife’s chronic illness, and the demands of raising four girls. The one place he finds release is in the ring, where he competes in the bruising sport of mixed martial arts. Despite the promise he made to his family to stop fighting, Joe continues to train secretly, determined to prove that he can keep up with the new crop of younger, up-and-coming competitors. But as he contends with a series of increasingly worrying health scares, the question arises: how much is Joe willing to risk—his family, his marriage, maybe even his life—to keep fighting? A true-life tale of resilience that unfolds with all the drama of fiction, The Cage Fighter is a riveting look at the demons that drive a man to push himself to the limit.
“The Cage Fighter” hits VOD on February 2nd. Check out our exclusive clip below.