Star Rating:

Revolutions

Director: Laura McGann

Release Date: Friday 30th June 2017

Genre(s): Documentary, Sports

Running time: 86 minutes

Filmed over four years, this cleverly named Irish documentary from the producer of When Ali Came to Ireland and Unbreakable provides an unflinching and poignant insight into the trials and tribulations, both personal and sporting, of the women on the forefront of Ireland's burgeoning Roller Derby scene.

Roller Derby may only be in its infancy in Ireland but already, as in the tendency in all competitive sports, rivalries are forming. Two sides emerge in the Dublin Roller Derby and Cork City Firebirds teams, but the adversaries come together when Ireland has a chance to play in the World Cup competition for the sport.

While Revolutions doesn’t necessarily bring anything new to the genre of sports documentary, it is inspirational to see the impressive talent of young Irish sportswomen. Moreover, director Laura McGann has chosen her documentary subjects well in that they share in common a fierce determination and sense of competitiveness, but are all flawed and human after all. The doc is also interesting from the perspective of witnessing the struggles of fostering such a niche sport in our small country – who doesn’t get the feels from the aul national pride?

Seeing the sense of community and belonging that the sport inspires is a joy to watch but issues emerge between teams and among team members. These include poor communication, inexperience and finger pointing. Individuals’ opinions and ambitions inevitably clash – coach ‘Violent Bob’, Crow and Zola Blood are particularly intriguing interview subjects, while watching Zola’s undeniable talent in the sport in action is exhilarating. The feuds make for compelling albeit occasionally frustrating (Why can’t they just communicate better with one another?) viewing.

Another interesting angle the documentary takes is that the failure of the sport to take a stronger hold in Ireland and attract more participants, is considered in relation to Ireland’s recent recession and the limitations it has put on Irish young people. Clocking in at a concise 87 mins, Revolutions is an enjoyable local sports documentary that has some thought-provoking comments to make about the Irish.