Katie (2018) is a documentary following the life of Katie Taylor, charting her journey from having to pretend to be a boy to get fights (Ireland wouldn’t sanction female boxing, so she would put her name down as ‘K. Talyor’ and walk out to the ring with her headgear on) to become Ireland’s greatest sportswoman.
The documentary packs a lot in; from going to the boxing gym with her dad aged six because they couldn’t afford a babysitter, to sparring in a park on the estate she grew up on with another hundred children watching, literally fighting to get her sport into the Olympics and winning gold at the London Olympics – all within the first 20 minutes.
The documentary is fantastically made, with movie-esque training and fight footage coupled with candid discussions with Katie, her family and those close to her. Ranging from raw, emotional moments to the highest of triumphs it gives a real insight into the introverted boxing champ that reveals so much about her life but still leaves you feeling like theres some part of Katie that you don’t get to know. A powerful display of what it takes not just to rise to the top in a sport that doesn’t get the recognition it deserves, but to do more than most to help raise that profile on your shoulders.
Theres a reason that the documentary picked up a slew of awards from several irish film festivals, and we can’t recomened it highly enough.
“She’s still fighting for the same things that she was fighting for as an eleven year old when she started out boxing”
– Johnny Watterson, Boxing Writer for The Irish Times, talking about how even as a pro Katie still faces the same challenges as when she started as an Irish amateur.
Our Rating
Katie (2018)
4 stars out of 5