The Featherweight

Section: What's Up, Doc?
Title: The Featherweight
Director: Robert Kolodny
Cast: James Madio, Ruby Wolf, Ron Livingston, Keir Gilchrist, Stephen Lang, Lawrence Gilliard Jr., Shari Albert, Imma Aiello
Duration: 1h 40m
Country: United States
Language: en/it
Year: 2023

Set in the mid-1960s, The Featherweight presents a gripping chapter in the true-life story of Italian-American boxer Willie Pep who, down and out in his mid-40s and with his personal life in shambles, decides to make a return to the ring, at which point a documentary camera crew enters his life. Painstakingly researched and constructed, the film is a visceral portrait of the discontents of twentieth-century American masculinity and fame.