Girlfight

Diana Guzman is a teenager in Red Hook, Brooklyn, who lives with her younger brother, Tiny, and their barely present father, Sandro. Angry and quick to fight, she has trouble at school and little direction, and she blames her father for her mother's death. When she visits the boxing gym her brother attends, she takes to the place and persuades the trainer, Hector Soto, to teach her the sport. She trains in secret, since her father would not approve of a girl boxing, and she works toward competing in the ring while also growing close to another young boxer, Adrian Sturges.

Karyn Kusama wrote and directed Girlfight, her first feature, ahead of Æon Flux, Jennifer's Body, The Invitation, XX and Destroyer. Michelle Rodriguez plays Diana, with Jaime Tirelli, Paul Calderon, Santiago Douglas, Ray Santiago and Víctor Sierra in supporting roles, and Sarah Green, Martha Griffin and Maggie Renzi producing.

The film was released in 2000 and runs 110 minutes. Made for about 1 million dollars, it earned roughly twice that worldwide, a solid return for an independent drama. On IMDb it holds 6.7/10 from around 12,000 votes, while on TMDB it stands at 6.5/10 from 198 votes. A critics' rating of 7.6/10 from 133 reviews places it well above both audience scores.