Actor-turned-director Jack Huston, alongside producers Josh Porter and Emma Tillinger Koskoff, shared the journey to making his directorial debut, “Day of the Fight”, which premiered in the Horizons Extra section of the 80th Venice Film Festival.
He discussed how Stanley Kubrick’s 1951 documentary “Day of the Fight” provided the impetus for the story, following the day in the life of a boxer, who takes an “introspective journey” leading up to a fight at Madison Square Garden.
He shared his stylistic choices, including shooting the 80s-set movie in black and white, as well as his conviction that Michael Pitt, himself a boxer, was perfect for the role of protagonist Irish Mike, despite some controversy around his selection, conveying both the toughness of the character and his vulnerability.
Finally, the director Jack Huston spoke about the core of the film dealing with how trauma can follow you through the life, the desire for redemption – and that’s never too late to find it.
Plot
On the day of his first fight since leaving prison, Mikey, a once celebrated boxer, takes a redemptive journey through his past and present, putting his own life at risk due to a medical condition only he knows about. Over the course of the day, Mikey visits influential figures from his life, encouraging him to overcome his checkered past. After a fight for the ages at Madison Square Garden, a twist of events reveals that this day was never really about boxing for Mikey. This is an underdog story built on introspection, self-sacrifice, and forgiveness which asks the question: how far are we willing to go for the ones we love?