I, Tonya (2017)

I, Tonya is a darkly comic, emotionally raw biopic that traces the rise and fall of controversial figure skater Tonya Harding. Told through a mix of mock-interview testimony, archival-style footage and kinetic skating sequences, the film follows Tonya from a rough, working-class childhood and abusive home life to national success — including becoming the first American woman to land a triple axel in competition — and then to the scandal that eclipsed her achievements: the 1994 attack on fellow skater Nancy Kerrigan and the investigation that followed. Viewers will experience a collision of tones: sharp, often biting humor and satirical media commentary sit beside moments of real pain and domestic abuse. The storytelling deliberately plays with unreliable narratives — multiple characters recount the same events with different spins — which keeps you guessing about culpability while exposing the pressures of class, image and the sports world’s gatekeepers. Visually the film alternates between stylish, energetic skating scenes and raw, intimate domestic moments; the editing and soundtrack amplify both the glamour and the grit. Expect powerful, scene-stealing performances and a protagonist who is both sympathetic and complicated — a talented athlete shaped by neglect and ambition, whose messy personal life and ill-conceived associations lead to public disgrace. The film is equal parts courtroom of public opinion, character study and media satire: it asks whether Tonya was a mastermind, a victim, or both, and forces viewers to confront how easily reputation can be destroyed. Overall, watching I, Tonya is an engaging, unsettling ride: you’ll laugh, wince, and come away unsettled by the distance between a person’s public image and private reality, and by how storytelling itself can alter the truth.

Actors: Margot Robbie, Sebastian Stan, Allison Janney

Director: Craig Gillespie

Runtime: 119 min

Genres: Biography, Comedy, Drama

7.0 /10 77 /100 7.5 /10 7.4 /10