I, Tonya

Dir: Craig Gillespie

2017

*****

I remember the Tonya Harding story quite well – or so I thought. What I actually remember is how she attacked follow figure skater Nancy Kerrigan with a hammer, breaking her knee. Something that didn’t actually ever happen but the fact that so many remember it that way is addressed directly in the film. Craig Gillespie’s I, Tonya sets the record straight and does it with humour, raw drama and visual panache. I was sure Harding was physically responsible for the attack but that is how it was reported in the media. Gillespie’s film, based on Steven Rogers brilliant script, basically undoes the poor reporting on the subject and explores everyone involved’s point of view, as well as the documented facts. Truth is, Harding was in the spotlight long before the ‘incident’ and even though everyone sees it differently, it is undeniable that she is the big victim in the story of her life. The story is constructed from interviews and reconstructions of real and supposed events. It’s not quite a ‘mockumentry’, more like a reconstruction that occasionally breaks the forth wall. For instance, Harding’s e-husband Jeff Gillooly states that Harding once chased him out of their house with a shotgun and fired at him – we see this in the film – but straight afterwards Margot Robbie’s Harding looks at the camera and declares that “This didn’t actually happen”. The audience is given the story from several different perspectives and is left to reach its own verdict – very much reading between the lines. It’s a fair and balanced account, with most of the script taken directly from interviews, but it is pretty clear who did what, who didn’t do what and what the real situation was. Harding had an incredibly hard and abusive upbringing, thanks to her ice cold mother LaVona Fay Golden. Her mother argues that it was her tough influence that made Harding such a dedicated and talented figure skater in the first place – which there is a lot of truth to – but the detrimental effect it had on Harding is evident throughout the rest of her career. The film is marketed as something of a comedy – and it is funny, not only in its structure but because the truth is so absurd it is impossible to smirk at. Bobby Cannavale plays television producer Martin Maddox whose interview interjects throughout the film, pointing out most of the truly absurd aspects of the story, including what those involved actually did and what he and his fellow media colleagues made up. Then there is Shawn Eckhardt, Jeff’s best mate and proclaimed bodyguard of Tonya’s, who refers to himself as a counter-terrorism expert among many things, even though he is an unemployed fat man living in his parents basement. Played by Paul Walter Hauser in the film, his character is the more obvious comedy aspect of the film, so when you learn he is real and said all the things he says in the film in real life, it’s shockingly funny. You will laugh because its funny but you will also laugh out of shock. However, the film is way more shocking than it is funny – it really isn’t a comedy. Harding was systematically abused by her mother and then her husband, the only difference between her and most victims is that she was tough and got back up again and didn’t cry out. The cycle of abuse is pretty hard going. Margot Robbie gets hit quite a lot during the film, often when you least expect it and when the film is at a high point. I respect this, as it is true of abuse and it acted as an important reminder. Her mother and ex-husband deny most of the abuse but often slip up in interviews – the abuse is clearly as bad as she says it was. It’s heartbreaking that, with all the talent and grace in the world, that Harding was overlooked because of her look, tastes, background and class. She was without a doubt the best figure skater in the world but she was too tough for some, a redneck who couldn’t afford a fur coat. Margot Robbie and Allison Janney’s performances as daughter and mother are outstanding, the film got all the opposite emotions I thought would be effected out of me. It’s a stunning piece of contemporary cinema, perfectly executed with brilliant performances, great editing and a killer soundtrack. Not exactly the sort of thing you would expect from a film about figure skating but then the film isn’t really about that at all, it’s about class, abuse, society and just how dumb we are for believing everything we read in the news.