Wrestle Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.0

Wrestle Blu-ray Movie Review

Keep your head up.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III January 19, 2020

Essentially a Hoop Dreams take on four promising high school wrestlers, Suzannah Herbert and Lauren Belfer's Wrestle is an absorbing and efficient production. Much like that landmark sports documentary, Wrestle takes the "warts and all" approach, granting personal access into the lives of its main subjects: Jailen Young, Jaquan Rhodes, Teague Berres, and Jamario Rowe, each battling through stressful home and high school experiences that would cause less determined kids to give up. Although its larger group of subjects and shorter running time prevents a deeper viewing experience, Wrestle nonetheless checks almost all the boxes of what makes a truly captivating human interest story.

Wrestle unsurprisingly revolves around the sport it's named after, with an overall narrative that spans a season-long road the the state finals. We follow each athlete as they compete separately but function as a unit, from practice to the bright lights of packed indoor arenas, following intense physical regimens that include strict weight control, exhaustive workouts, and last-minute crash courses. As suggested previously, Wrestle also digs into their personal lives and the challenges that come with them: absentee parents, trouble at school, an unplanned child, at least one drug arrest (for marijuana possession, which might date this in a few years), family pressure, religious indoctrination, and more. It also touches upon the influence of their respective parents (many of whom are working alone) and charismatic head coach Chris Scribner, although Wrestle never fully diverts its attention away from our four young protagonists. The adult supporting characters contribute some of the film's most memorable and effective moments and, while I'd have loved for them to get more time in the spotlight, the "less is more" approach gives their scenes even more impact.

There are times when, possibly due to its core similarities to Hoop Dreams, this documentary feels a bit too cliched and familiar at times...and while that complaint has merit, it's almost impossible not to become fully invested anyway. Luckily, a few unique layers set Wrestle apart from its predecessors: most stem from the boys' one-parent households, as well as their poverty-stricken community and the intimidating presence of its police officers. The dismal economic status of their school, Huntsville, Alabama's J.O. Johnson (which has since closed), also plays a role, as it's literally depicted as being on its last legs during the film's production. These layers work together to give the team's story even more of an "underdog" status and, while it doesn't end on all high notes, each boy's journey reveals obvious signs of character growth during their individual and shared challenges. For these reasons and several others, Wrestle succeeds purely on the strength of its overall narrative, technical merits, and the luck of capturing a compelling story on camera as it gradually unfolds. Simply put, it's a film worth watching even if you're not interested in the sport.

Wrestle arrives on Blu-ray from Oscilloscope Laboratories, a reliably good studio for both worthwhile independent fare and solid disc production in general. The film plays perfectly well on home video thanks to a serviceable 1080p transfer, lossless audio, and a thoughtful selection of bonus features that add a bit more weight to the main feature.

Wrestle Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Likely shot on mid-grade digital equipment, Wrestle looks reliably solid on Blu-ray thanks to Oscilloscope's capable 1080p transfer. Image detail and textures are well-defined under the right circumstances, with lower-lit sequences displaying an expected amount of mild noise and softness. For the most part, though, Wrestle is a great-looking film with accurate color saturation, decent black levels, and even a modest amount of depth depending on the location and conditions. Mild banding and a few stray compression artifacts could be spotted along the way, but the Blu-ray's high bit-rate suggests that these small issues can likely be traced back to the original source material.

Wrestle Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Two lossless options are included here: a DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track (default) and full DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio, so remember to visit the setup menu first. While its default track is decent enough to get the job done, the latter is definitely preferable for all the expected reasons: its more enveloping atmosphere is served well by the original score (which is more than a little derivative at times, as at least two tracks are obvious clones of songs by Explosions in the Sky and Arcade Fire), subtle outdoor ambiance, and the rambunctious crowd noise at competitive events. Front and rear channels are mostly balanced evenly with only a few discrete effects, while the low end gets a couple unexpected workouts during more intense musical moments. Dialogue is mostly clear and easy to understand, although a handful of mumbled lines -- some laced with heavier Alabama accents -- are paired with burnt-in English subtitles just for good measure. Full English (SDH) subtitles are included during the film and select bonus features.

Wrestle Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Wrestle arrives on Blu-ray in a keepcase (or a limited edition Digipak if you order from their store) with attractive cover artwork and no inserts. On-disc extras are mid-length and cover most of the expected bases very well.

• Deleted Scenes (13:32) - "A Dark Omen", "Fight at Dusk", "Christmas in Huntsville", "Date Night at the Roller Rink", "Food Stamps", "Ain't Gonna Do It", "I Dunno", "Pre-Practice Chaos", and "Remembering Oreo". There are a few nice moments and interesting side-stories here, but I was expecting more given that the filmmakers originally recorded more than 650 hours of raw footage during production.

• On the Mat (19:43) - An interview with filmmakers Suzannah Herbert and Lauren Belfer; the pair discuss the film's development, narrowing down the subjects, their experiences in Huntsville, and much more.

• Rooftop Films Screening Q&A (20:43) - This candid piece features director Suzannah Herbert, co-director Lauren Belfer, protagonists Jailen Young and Jaquan Rhodes, and other members of the cast and crew after the film's June 8, 2018 premiere at Metrotech Commons in Brooklyn.

• Theatrical Trailer (1:54) - Available here if you haven't seen it.

Wrestle Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The compelling and well-crafted Wrestle should attract anyone who loved Hoop Dreams, as its potent mixture of competitive sports and, at times, heartbreaking human drama make it an independent production worth looking into. Oscilloscope's Blu-ray includes solid A/V specs and an assortment of thoughtful bonus features, rounding out a package that should impress newcomers and play just as well on repeat viewings. Highly recommended.