I, Tonya, directed by Craig Gillespie, is a biographical film based on former figure skater Tonya Harding.

Tonya, played by Margot Robbie, always had a talent for figure skating and started her journey at the tender age of four.  Life was definitely not easy for her, with the abandonment of her father, abuse BY her mother (Allison Janney) and boyfriend/husband, Jeff (Sebastian Stan).  Despite being the first American woman to land a triple axel jump in competition, prejudice was held against her because of her broken family background.

The film starts with documentary-style interviews when the characters are much older, as they recount their stories to the audience.  While doing so, we see the events that lead up to the present day.  The film cuts back and forth between the interviews and the past, with the characters in the past often breaking the fourth wall, which makes their circumstances more real rather than pure fiction.

Abuse is a running theme throughout the whole story, and was painful and uncomfortable to watch—as it should be.  The film did not romanticise being abused and portrayed a realistic reaction by a victim.  Tonya allowed herself to be mistreated and kept going back to the ones who hurt her, because that was love as she knew it.

The CGI used could be better, especially during the stunts.  Robbie’s face was sloppily edited onto the stunt double’s and it broke the illusion of the film.  However, Robbie definitely deserved her Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Actress (Musical/Comedy).  Her performance was so raw and authentic, and she truly embraced the character of Tonya.  Overall, I, Tonya was a good watch, with a stellar cast and their brilliant performances.

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Emily is studying creative writing for TV at Singapore Polytechnic. When she’s not at the risk of ruining her eyesight in front of her laptop, she’s recommending her favourite movies and shows to her friends on Instagram.  Her favourite pastime while watching films is crocheting.