Saviours

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Shot over two years, Whitaker and Nolan's boxing documentary encompasses the hopes and dreams of three members of Dublin's north city boxing club, Saviours, as they train for the 2005 Irish Senior Championships. The title for the club is apt, as it's the only chance two of the three would-be boxers have of changing their lives: Darren, arguably the most talented boxer on show (he went on win a Bronze medal in this year's Olympics), struggles to divide time between the ring and his third level education, and there's a feeling that even if he doesn't make it as a boxer, he'll do well for himself anyway. The other two have more of a reason to box: for Dean it's the only chance to move away from the tough flats he grew up on, while Abdul sees boxing as his only chance to stay in the country. Of the three stories, it's Abdul's that's the most interesting; after leaving Ghana when only 15, Abdul arrived in Ireland only to fight inside the ring and out, struggling to convince the immigration authorities to let him stay in this country. His story is a heartbreaker with a never-ending good news-bad news-good news-bad news roller-coaster. Whitaker and Nolan never let the viewer forget where the documentary is taking place, inter-cutting the boxing action with shots of north city streets, shop fronts and graffiti-strewn bars, and take a back seat to the stories as they move about the club taking in snippets of conversation. Entertaining and honest, Saviours fails to disappoint.