This hour-long documentary about disabled life and ableism co-directed by campaigner Michael Grimmett isn’t merely “inspirational”; it’s also an articulate catalogue of persisting prejudices against disabled people in the UK today, thanks to contributions from influencer Isaac Harvey, Tanni Grey-Thompson and Grimmett himself. What’s ironic about the many instances detailed here of how daily life still excludes them is that being part of daily life is exactly what most disabled people wish to be; not visible, not exceptional.
That said, Fighters does choose a focal point: the struggle of lower-limb amputee boxer Matt Edwards to gain approval from sport’s authorities to take part in amateur boxing bouts. Training and sparring have been a lifesaver for him; after losing a leg aged 19 in a road traffic collision, he fell into addiction. But with the boxing authorities refusing to let him compete, Edwards is forced to sweat it out – elegantly pivoting on his prosthetic limb – in white-collar bouts.
The question of Edwards’ participation is in some ways highly specific, linked to his disability type (though there is a history of lower-limb amputee and wheelchair boxing), and available opponents. But it’s also emblematic of a wider resistance in sport and other arenas of life, both conscious and unconscious, to adapting to disabled people’s needs. Unbelievably, it can still come down to basic questions of access. Grimmett recounts an anecdote about a boxing gym who would only roll out their wheelchair ramp for him between 11am and midday.
It’s exasperating because sport should be a universal route to self-validation and social interaction, all the more so for disabled people whose mental health is ground down by the constant struggle for recognition. Gladiator Jodie Ounsley, who is deaf, attests to how sport coaxed her out of her shell, and Amelia, a 10-year-old deaf boxer from a Pembrokeshire gym, is following the same path. There is some divergence here about whether the business rationale – the so-called “purple pound” – is the key driver for widespread change. Grimmett doesn’t editorialise, but lets the arguments breathe and allows quiet indignation to sink in. It would be good to see him tackle other facets of the disabled experience.
Fighters is in UK cinemas from 27 June.