Dark comedic skating drama
GRIPPING STORY OF PAIN EXPERIENCED BY DISGRACED TONYA HARDING
Initially you get the idea that it is a spoof, but then you realise it is about much more.
The story of former figure skating champion Tonya Harding will hit SA cinemas on February 16. With 24 awards and 77 nominations under its belt, I, Tonya features Margot Robbie (About Time, The Wolf of Wall Street, Focus, The Legend of Tarzan, Suicide Squad) and Allison Janney (The West Wing, Mom, American Beauty, Juno).
Two triple axels, various ice skating records and all the technique in the world means absolutely nothing when overshadowed by one of the most sensational scandals of all time. This award-winning film – including a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture (Allison Janney), Critics’ Choice Movie Awards for Best Supporting Actress (Allison Janney) and Best Actress in a Comedy (Margot Robbie) and a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role (Allison Janney) – is based on the true events behind this spectacle and will keep you glued to your seat until the very end.
Australian actress Margot Robbie plays Harding, who was well on her way to becoming one of the world’s biggest ice skating legends.
Harding’s first big breakthrough came in 1991 when she won (with her first triple axel) the US Championships and was awarded the event’s first 6.0 given to a single female skater for technical merit.
At the 1991 World Championships, she again completed the triple axel, becoming the first American woman to perform it at an international event. Unfortunately, that is not what she is remembered for. Her dreams and career were shattered by her alleged association with an infamous, ill-conceived, and even more poorly executed attack on fellow Olympic competitor, Nancy Kerrigan (Caitlin Carver), by her ex-husband (Sebastian Stan) and bodyguard (Paul Walter Hauser).
I, Tonya is a darkly comedic drama, written by Steven Rogers, who also wrote the movies Hope
Floats and Stepmom, that tells the tale of a talented sports star whose success is destroyed by her troubled childhood, her mother’s
abuse and her stormy relationships. Although it initially seems like the movie is actually a comedic spoof of the heartlessness of a tabloid driven nation, you soon realise that it is about more.
This gripping film, directed by Craig Gillespie (Lars and the Real
Girl, Fright Night), has already received various nominations from film festivals, including Best Feature Film and Best Actress at the Gotham Awards in November 2017, as well as Best Female Lead, Best Supporting Female and Best Editing (Tatiana S Riegel) by the Independent Spirit Awards taking place in March. Allison Janney, who portrays the role of Tonya’s heartless and abusive mother – LaVona Golden – has also won an award for Best Supporting Actress at the Hollywood Film Awards.
The film also boasts an excellent cast and has already received a lot of praise for outstanding performances by the lead characters. Robbie is commended for her soulful portrayal of Harding, while Stan can be seen in the role of her ex-husband, Jeff Gillooly.
This handsome New York actor, previously featured in television shows such as Law and Order and Gossip Girl, also starred in the
Captain America franchise, Riki and the Flash, The Martian and many more. I, Tonya promises to captivate audiences, not only because of outstanding acting and direction, but also because it proves the innocence of a woman who was judged by the world and abused by those who were supposed to love her most. –