The real Wonder-Women are among us

“It’s such a world away from me! »

Sarah Baril Gaudet could hardly say it better. Very small, with her airs of being a wise first in class, the director nevertheless signs Those who struggle, a hilariously galvanizing documentary about women’s wrestling, in a ring near you. Get out of there, it’s going to hurt. Literally, of course.

No doubt, after the exhibition Quebec in the arena in Quebec, the show Slam!by Robert Lepage, at Tohu these days, then this documentary, in theaters this Friday and at the Vues sur mer festival in Gaspé next month, there is interest in the air for this otherwise long-snubbed discipline. A discipline all the more interesting than Sarah Baril Gaudet (Where I live, Passage, The benevolent) presents it here from a feminist angle, through portraits of real warriors, having to row hard to make their place, to reconcile their life and their ambitions, in a universe of big pectorals that are quite masculine thank you, more violent, you die.

Vector of emancipation

You have to see them arrive on stage, sorry, on the ring, in their glittering conqueror’s costume, to understand the extent of the strength, but above all the determination required here, quite communicative, if you ask us in our humble opinion.

Struggle as a vector of emancipation, you say? Why not. At least that’s what the director told herself, after attending her very first “women’s show” in Ottawa a few years ago. “I really fell in love with it! »

I was impressed by their audacity, their talent, their provocative side!

Sarah Baril Gaudet, director

“And by their ability to break away from the stereotypes of fragile women! », she adds in an interview.

It was after attending one or two shows with friends, in church basements in Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, then especially after watching the series glow on Netflix (featuring the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling) that Sarah Baril Gaudet was frankly interested in the phenomenon in general, and in women’s wrestling in particular. “And I asked myself the question: are there female wrestlers in Quebec? »

Some research later, she discovered the Femme Fatales organization, dedicated to promoting women’s wrestling in North America, and attended her first show in Ottawa, quite memorable, when we know that that day, the Quebec wrestler LuFista made a hole in a wall with a violent punch (foot, chair or other, your choice). “It wasn’t arranged,” says the amazed director. It happens ! And that’s what makes the show so interesting! » Hence his excitement: “Wow, I want to meet these women! »

L’empowerment women

It is also this same LuFista (early forties, pioneer in Quebec as a wrestler since she was 17!) that we find throughout the film. At her side: Loue O’Farrell (young mother, who was at the opening ceremony of the exhibition at the Musée de la civilization), without forgetting Azaelle (mother-to-be, we see her taking a pregnancy test before each fight in the film), a real character with her fiery red hair, her white boots, her fishnet stockings and her superhero costume.

We hear them confide in each other, recount their ambitions and disappointments, around this great shared “passion”, which they see as an outlet: “It allows me to come out of my shell as a mother and explore all the facets of my personality », Loue also says to the camera.

These are ordinary women who become Super Women !

Sarah Baril Gaudet, director

“For me, it is a vector ofempowerment for these women! »

Who will be surprised? “As part of my interviews with them, I realized that they were experiencing issues, in terms of ageism, motherhood, fatphobia, which are similar to the issues facing women in general,” adds the director.

Is it because of the nature of the subject, the staging or the costumes? Still, the documentary looks like a true fiction, which reeks of action, with its close-ups of the choreographed fights, its loud music that grips, and all its strong emotions of the occasion. “I wanted us to feel the action! (…) Let us experience the adrenaline! ” Mission accomplished.

Sarah Baril Gaudet also makes full use of contrasts, alternating between scenes of combat and private life, a well-placed punch here, and confidences while changing the baby or feeding the cat there, to paint a portrait as contrasted as eloquent of the environment.

“It’s a complex world for these women,” she continues, “they want to be accepted among men (…) and there is something beautiful in seeing their solidarity. » As evidenced by yet another contrast, the numerous scenes where they literally tear each other’s heads off in front of an audience, before kissing to tears behind the scenes.

His wish ? “I was touched by the passion of these women who have managed to find a place for themselves despite all the challenges they face. I want people to be inspired! she says. Yes, it’s violent, but there’s a cathartic side that feels good! »

In theaters March 29

Consult the schedule of special screenings with the director and wrestlers