7 New Womxn’s Sports Documentaries on Netflix You Should Be Watching
Hiyori Kon in Little Miss Sumo. Photo: Netflix.
With Netflix’s catalog of thousands of films and television shows, there are seemingly endless things to watch, and yet sometimes we are still left with the feeling that we’ve seen it all and nothing seems to appeal to us. So Snatch Magazine has done the heavy lifting for you on this one. If there’s one genre we love here at Snatch Magazine it’s SPORTS MOVIES. The training! The competition! The drama! We love it all. I’m pretty sure I’ve never watched a sports film and not cried. The research for this article included a movie-watching bender, in which I scrubbed all of Netflix for any sports documentaries that had womxn at the forefront.
In my investigations, I found that there was a disappointingly limited selection of sports docs that didn’t focus on men, but we’ve watched and rated 7 of the newest womxn’s sports documentaries available to stream right now. Many of these are short films which make them perfect binge-en-série length. No better way to spend an evening in quarantine with international stories of strong womxn and their experiences around the world.
1. Little Miss Sumo (2018)
19m, Japanese
Photo: Netflix.
This short documentary follows the story of Hiyori Kon, a 20-year-old sumo wrestler living in Japan. Kon, in her penultimate year of competition before forced retirement, explains that “Women’s sumo is limited when they’re young because the environment forces them out after that” and women are not allowed to compete in sumo professionally.
The film’s brevity at only 19 minutes is just the right amount of time to capture a vignette of Kon’s life that is both satisfying yet still leaves you wanting more. We see footage of her in competition as a young girl before the film follows her to a match, which will likely be the last time she is allowed to compete. It is a beautifully executed film that leaves you hoping that times will change enough soon that this won’t be the end of Kon’s story.
2. Ladies First (2017)
39m, Hindi
Photo: Netflix.
Within one year of starting archery, Deepika Kumari became Cadet World Champion. Within four years, by the age of 18, she was the best female archer in the world. Coming from a poverty and in a society where women’s’ ambitions are suppressed in Ratu, India. This short biopic follows her as she prepares for the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Kumari talks about her motivation to attend the archery academy in 2006 was not for the athletics, but to ease her financial stress on her family. She says “I thought if I left home, there would be more money… At first, I didn’t even know it was a sport.” Kumari’s presence in her sport is inspiring but her story highlights some of the difficulties women in sport across the world still face in attempts to chase their dreams.
3. Transformer (2017)
1h19m, English.
Photo: Netflix
This documentary tells the story of Janae Marie Kroczaleski, a former Marine and record-holding powerlifter and her transition from male to female. In an intimate setting, Transformer follows Kroczaleski as she outlines her difficulties with her distinctly muscular body as she transitions, explaining how as a man she feels most comfortable in a highly muscular body, but as a woman she’s struggling to feel most herself.
The film not only follows Kroczaleski as an athlete, but we observe her with her three sons and how they’ve been impacted by her transition. Kroczaleski is not only an admirable athlete and parent, but also an image of following your truth, and we all could benefit from taking a page out of her book.
4. Lorena: Light Footed Woman (2018)
28m, Spanish and Tarahumara
Photo: Netflix.
Another short film absolutely worth watching is the story of Rarámuri ultramarathon runner Lorena Ramírez. The film pans across the feet of competitors on the start line of a race and lined up with name brand sneakers are Ramírez’s feet in sandals. Circling the story around her successes running in dresses and sandals, Lorena has won a few ultramarathons and lives with her family along the Tarahumara mountain range in Chihuahua, Mexico.
The film itself is skillfully crafted with beautiful scenery and Lorena is a stoic lead who says so much in so few words. Her story is well told and her presence is sure to not be forgotten.
5. Cheer (2020)
Season 1: 6 Episodes, 56-62m, English
Photo: Netflix
If you somehow missed Cheer when it was at the center of obsession in early 2020, it’s not too late to experience the drama and athleticism that competitive cheerleading takes. While this show doesn’t highlight one singular female athlete, it follows the Navarro College Cheer team in Corsicana, Texas as they go on to defend their title as 14-time NCA National Champions.
The series highlights each of the team’s athletes through their backgrounds that got them to Navarro. From underdog stories of broken homes, to the social media influencer whose cheerleading online is a part of her revenue stream and producing content is a family affair. Beyond the grueling training, viewers get a glimpse inside the mentality of athletes who would give anything to their sport just for the chance to win.
6. Bethany Hamilton: Unstoppable (2019)
1h 38m, English
Photo: Netflix
At the age of 13, surfer Bethany Hamilton lost her arm in a devastating shark attack. She rose to the public eye when she returned to the sport despite her injury and continued to dominate. Bethany Hamilton: Unstoppable retells this story, and then picks up with Hamilton as a new mother to her son, Tobias.
If you’ve never heard Hamilton’s story of overcoming adversity, you’re in for a treat. If you are familiar, this film doesn’t add much new detail to her story but it is enjoyable enough as a lighthearted feel-good film with some beautiful zen surfing shots to boot.
1h 40m, English
Photo: Netflix
Ronda Rousey has been a fighter her whole life. What started with early life health and development fights grew into competitive judo at the age of 11, following in her mother’s footsteps, and a 2-time Olympian by age 21. After getting tired of being broke, Rousey started competing in Mixed Martial Arts and grew to her glory as the first female UFC champion.
Writer and Director Gary Stretch started filming this in 2010 and followed Rousey through her 6 year rise to worldwide fame. The filmmaking itself jumps around as we move along in the film, improving as we go, but lacks many of the darker details we know of Rousey’s story. This film is certainly entertaining in detailing the athlete’s life, although it does skip over some of her controversies, so we can’t vouch for it being the whole story.
