User reviews

Just saw the premier of this flick at Fantastic Fest in Austin and was blow away. This movie really dissects what it means to be human, and the explores the meaning of achieving greatness. What really comes across, once you get over some initial shock and uncomfortableness, is people wanting to be treated like people. In the U.S. its easy to write this off as exploitation. I find that offensive, lazy, and false. These people are competitors and deserved to be viewed with autonomy and respect. It was clear from some audience reactions that some cannot watch films with an open mind. The director took the time show all aspects of these people's lives, the good and bad. They deserve at least that much. Don't believe the low review, see this film with an open heart and mind. Also post-production was spot on.

I saw this documentary at Fantastic Fest in Austin, and after about 20 minutes I realized I was seeing something very special - an extremely bold attempt by a filmmaker to humanize a group of people for an audience that they would normally ignore or, at best, consider freaks. The film is about a group of men and women in Japan who have severe handicaps but participate in a pro wrestling league called "Doglegs". I don't want to give too much away about the story, but it is beyond moving the way the filmmaker makes you understand the difficult nature of the subjects' lives, as well as their hopes, fears, dreams and utter humanity - all while your jaw is dropped at the fact that there is a pro wrestling league in Japan for the handicapped! I have to admit that I had a bit of a predisposition towards the film as a fan of both Japan and pro wrestling, but I think anyone would be moved by the film's humanism and honesty, and especially by the courage of the filmmakers to tackle such a challenging subject and then hit a home run with the storytelling. Highly recommended.

If you try to pity the Doglegs fighters you might just get a whack to the face - at least it seems so after watching this rare, subculture-genre documentary that challenges the viewer to reassess what constitutes "disability." More than that, it's a hard hitting story - shot verite'- about a man (and group) trying to smash out their existence in Japan, a country that has a rep as overly conformist, but the people who challenge the physically (and mentally) challenged Dogleg fighters, in some ways, are the real stars of this film.

Honest, brutal, but at times sublime - the final fight will have you wrenching, cheering and crying. This film changed the way I see disability and seems more like a litmus test for openness of mind.