Red Rain (1999)

Handling

Laura Plotkin's 1998 video documents the life of boxer Gina “Boom Boom” Guidi. Skillfully intercutting diverse voices with Guidi's, Plotkin captures the woman's energy and emotional strength: the oldest child of a single mom, Guidi had to raise three younger brothers and recover from drug and alcohol abuse to become the thoroughly grounded person we see in the film. Though she's openly lesbian, she argues that her sexuality has nothing to do with her being a boxer, and while she's mature enough to ignore a homophobic slur from a magazine publisher, she's clearly hurt by it. Her vulnerability is visible in the ring too, her face registering fear and hesitation as well as aggressiveness.