The Fire Inside (2024): Review and Summary | The Black Girl Coming Of Age Story You’ve Been Waiting On
Beyond being an inspirational story focused on Claressa Sheilds, “The Fire Inside” is a coming-of-age story you rarely see Black girls have on the big screen.
Spoiler Alert: This summary and review contains spoilers.
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| Film Length | 1 Hour 49 Minutes |
| Release Date | December 25, 2024 |
| Advisory Rating | Rated PG-13 |
| Initially Available On/Via | Theatrical |
| Genre(s) | Drama, Young Adult, Biopic, Sports |
| Distributor | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), Prime Video |
| Director | Rachel Morrison |
| Writer | Barry Jenkins |
| Character Name | Actor |
| Claressa Shields | Ryan Destiny |
| Jason Crutchfield | Brian Tyree Henry |
Plot Summary
Covering 2006 to 2016, we watch Claressa Shields, an 11-year-old girl in 2006, running halfway across town to spend anytime she can in Jason Crutchfield’s gym. She is determined and consistent, but she is also a young lady who has had it hard. It isn’t often there is food to eat, never mind enough for her, her mom, and two younger siblings. But she wants to become something, offer something, and Jason sees this in her.
So, over the course of the film, Jason becomes her coach and a father figure who trains her, holds her accountable, and gives it to her straight. He knows who Claressa is due to not only coming from the same area but also sharing other traits, and you see her reach great heights with Jason there.
However, like with most sports, while the men are allowed a level of freedom that leads to endorsement deals and money, the same isn’t available to women, and the farther removed from something seen as feminine or that can be made sexy, the harder it gets. So, what is there for a young woman who says she is a bully, who likes beating people up and is damn good at it?
Struggle. But, with not being unfamiliar with that and coming very far, Claressa eventually finds that strength to push forward and change not only her life and career but women’s boxing forever.
Character Descriptions
Claressa Shields
Claressa Shields is a Flint, Michigan native whose childhood wasn’t great. He father wasn’t around, her mother struggled, and as the eldest of three, she took on a responsibility to look out for her younger siblings, as she felt her mother wouldn’t. But, between getting into fights and courting them with her mouth sometimes, something had to give, and it seemed boxing allowed her to let out that aggression, sometimes be praised for talking slick, and allow her a career that could give her family a safety net and herself every dream and desire.
- The actor is also known for their role in “A Girl Like Grace.”
Jason Crutchfield
At one time, Jason was an up-and-coming boxer of a similar ilk to Claressa, who was on the road to make Flint proud and known for something beyond poverty. However, dreams got deferred, and with two respectable jobs, one installing cable and the other coaching at a gym, Jason made a life for himself, his wife, and his kids.
- The actor is also known for their role in “Don’t Let Go.”
Other Noteworthy Information
Where To Watch This:- Movie Contains: Cursing, Derogatory Language, Blood, Notable Fight Scenes, Drinking, Smoking
- The distributor is also known for “Challengers.”
- The director is also known for “Hightown.”
- The writer is also known for “If Beale Street Could Talk.”
Review
Our Rating (82/100): Positive (Worth Seeing)
Audience
“The Fire Inside” is not only for those who enjoy sports dramas, but also love coming of age dramas, and want to see one that is focused on not only a young woman, but a Black woman.
Highlights
Jason’s Investment In Claressa
While Claressa’s father does appear in the movie and makes an effort, there is no comparison to him trying to make up for lost time against the time Jason puts in. To watch him change not only his attitude towards women’s boxing but take on this girl who is rough around the edges, who he had to work to gain the trust of after she experienced trauma early in life, and help her make something out of herself? It is beautiful to see.
Now, let it be clear: Jason and Claressa are shown to be hotheads, with Jason knowing how to rile up Claressa just as well as he knows how to coach her. But, it’s because Jason sees something in Claressa that she sees glimpses of, but she needs direction, protection, and that sense that someone gets her, and when they don’t, there could be a conversation. So, to see a Black man fight so hard for the betterment of a young Black girl, later a woman, in modern times could bring tears to your eyes. Heck, it’ll even help you see why, for many athletes, their coach means the world to them.
Technically, No White Savior
The technical aspect of this not having a white savior is that Claressa’s amateur and Olympic boxing coaches are both Black – the Olympic coach is even a Black woman. However, when it comes to her getting equal pay for herself and other boxers, a White man did have to step in. But what doesn’t make this as bad as many films is that there is a recognition that as much as Jason wants to and tries to advocate for Claressa, it isn’t an easy task.
Take note, Jason may have had some form of a boxing career, but he doesn’t have the type of network that could make Claressa money. Never mind, make female boxing seem like a worthy investment, or make Claressa seem like anything beyond what sometimes can come off as the female Mike Tyson. So, when it comes to “The Fire Inside,” there is less of a savior, some White person thrown in to play hero, and just an admittance that the systems weren’t, and still may not, be in place for someone like Claressa to come up like any male boxer, or woman in another sport, and not only be the best skillfully but also one of the best paid.
Getting To See A Coming Of Age Story About A Black Girl
It isn’t easy to come up with examples of coming-of-age stories about a Black girl that has gotten any sort of marketing behind it. Coming-of-age, Black girl stories do exist, in general, but whether it is the now young women who starred in the various Kenya Barris’ “-Ish” productions or Delilah on “The Equalizer,” generally speaking, the story isn’t about them. Never mind, there is usually a layer of privilege since they are growing up in a middle-class, minimum, family.
“The Fire Inside” presents something different. Claressa’s life isn’t pristine and rainbows. Her environment looks destitute, there are no prevalent signs or notions towards drugs or gang activity, but if you are familiar with the subtle ways the movie makes it clear it exists, you get it. From a dad who has been in and out of jail, with very little mention of why, to other little things, the closest we may have ever gotten to something like Claressa’s story is Monce in “On My Block.”
But the difference here is that Claressa is real. She grew up in Flint, known for its water crisis. Claressa is the one who, even at 11, had to advocate for herself just to be taken seriously to have the career she has now. But then there are moments when you are allowed to see Claressa be a kid, have fun playing with a baby, have a little boyfriend, and just be jovial; you are also reminded that life for her has never been a silver staircase, but she had moments which could be seen as the silver lining.
It is in seeing those highs and lows and even Claressa becoming solid in her voice that you realize how abandoned Black girls are when it comes to their stories being front and center. Making it so, if one thing comes from “The First Inside,” I hope it is a serious push for the story of how Black girls became the women they are becoming more prevalent.
On The Fence
Often Having To Accept This Isn’t A Story About Everyone You’re Introduced To
While the focus is on Claressa’s life, there are people in her life you surely will wish we had gotten to know more. From what was omitted about her parents’ life to what happened to Jason’s boxing career, you’ll constantly find yourself wanting more of the story. Not to the point of feeling frustrated from not getting answers, but you may seek out a Wikipedia page or two, maybe a YouTube video breaking down Claressa’s life and associates, to get a fuller sense of who is who.
The Ending Feels Off
You know what happens in Claressa’s story since it isn’t over yet, and her life has increasingly become publicized in the build-up to the release of this movie. With that, the film ending as it does feels a bit weird, mainly because it rushes through everything dealing with Clarissa’s second gold medal and hits you with a highlight reel montage. Granted, there are multiple times the film has that moment that feels like the end, like when she gets her first gold medal, only to show how that medal changed nothing.
I would even say, at times, it almost seemed like they didn’t know when to end a story, especially when the person being portrayed hasn’t peaked and is still an active fighter. So, a consensus was made that when Claressa got serious about making boxing a career, that would be a good place to end. Leaving it where either someone could pick up where they left off years later or allow that ellipsis to show more is to come, it just hasn’t happened to be adapted yet.
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