Who knew this strange youth culture existed-in 26 countries! After watching, one can appreciate MMA in a new light. One of the trainers poignantly observes, "violence (in this country) is always gonna be there. If these kids dont have tools to defend themselves, they're dead meat".
This film is indeed a treatise on martial arts in our modern age. The unorthodox sport of kids MMA celebrates classic values like discipline and self-reliance, but at times no doubt, seems to license a dangerous amount of aggression in our youth.
While the film follows 10 and 11-year-olds (and their fervent parents) to tournaments around the world, the most salient scenes are in the kids' domiciles, where we get a glimpse into their not-so-Rockwellian home lives.
Ultimately Irving paints a complex picture of the new nuclear family: what some call toxic masculinity; others American exceptionalism.
This film is indeed a treatise on martial arts in our modern age. The unorthodox sport of kids MMA celebrates classic values like discipline and self-reliance, but at times no doubt, seems to license a dangerous amount of aggression in our youth.
While the film follows 10 and 11-year-olds (and their fervent parents) to tournaments around the world, the most salient scenes are in the kids' domiciles, where we get a glimpse into their not-so-Rockwellian home lives.
Ultimately Irving paints a complex picture of the new nuclear family: what some call toxic masculinity; others American exceptionalism.