I'm guessing the title confuses you. What exactly is a chessboxer? It's a person who participates in the mixed sport of chessboxing where after a round of fighting the fighters play chess before fighting again... It is an actual sport and it requires fighter be as mentally sharp as they are physically.
It is also the name of a short film which heralds the arrival of director writer director Albin Pepe as a force to be reckoned with.
The film CHESSBOXER is the story of a chessboxer who wins a big match and promptly gets into trouble by slugging his opponent who said he cheated. On the outs, he has to fight his way back to respectability.
Shot in black and white, the film is a moody throwback to the boxing films of old but with a modern sensibility. It’s a film that feels classic despite being modern.
Pepe kills it.
This is a perfectly made film. Pepe is a genius. Using the deep black and whites he hides the lack of a large cast in the boxing scenes by having every question disappear in the dark. He also uses the monochromatic images to heighten emotion. Unsurprisingly his editing is masterful. The linking of shots and sequences shows a sense of dramatic construction that most filmmakers never understand. Everything comes together in a pitch perfect film.
Forgive me for stumbling over my words about the technical aspects of the film, I’m trying to be brief.
The technical aspects of the film aside, the film moves us. Everyone involved sells their roles so we are invested in their lives. This is a film that has one of the best casts that I’ve run across this year.
I genuinely love this film- to the point I’m blathering nonsense. (That is a rave)
Highly recommended After you see this you are going to be like me and want to see what Albin Pepe does next.
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