Catch the Fair One
The promotional poster for this film features a razor blade. Its reflection shows a woman with injuries on her face.
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJosef Kubota Wladyka
Screenplay byJosef Kubota Wladyka
Story by
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyRoss Giardina
Edited byBenjamin Rodriguez
Music byNathan Halpern
Production
companies
Distributed byIFC Films
Release dates
  • June 12, 2021 (2021-06-12) (Tribeca)
  • February 11, 2022 (2022-02-11) (United States)
Running time
85 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$35,210[2][3]

Catch the Fair One is a 2021 American thriller film written, directed, and produced by Josef Kubota Wladyka, based on a story by Wladyka and Kali Reis in her film debut. It stars Reis, Daniel Henshall, Tiffany Chu, Michael Drayer, Lisa Emery, Kimberly Guerrero, and Kevin Dunn. The plot follows a young American Indian woman and former boxer named Kaylee who voluntarily joins a sex trafficking ring to find her missing younger sister. The film premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival on June 12, 2021. It was released in the United States on February 11, 2022, by IFC Films. The film was met with critical acclaim, with praise aimed towards the story and performances. At the 37th Independent Spirit Awards, Reis received a nomination for Best Female Lead.

Plot

Kaylee, a Native American woman who was once a boxer, is now an addict living in a shelter and working as a waitress. Some time ago, Kaylee's younger sister Weeta was kidnapped and taken into a sex trafficking ring. She is one of the hundreds of young girls who go missing every year. No one has heard of her since. Kaylee is still searching.

After finding a lead on Weeta's whereabouts, Kaylee meets the procurer of a local trafficking ring. The man takes pictures of her, drugs her, masturbates in front of her, and tells her that she will be sent to a man looking to buy a "Native girl".

Bobby is the son of the ring's kingpin, Willie. Kaylee is chloroformed, tied up, and taken by Bobby to the buyer's home. She wakes up alone in a basement and using a razor blade hidden under her tongue, she cuts herself free. Once Bobby and the buyer arrive, Bobby explains that he knows what she is trying to do and that she will never find her sister. When he leaves the room, and the buyer prepares to rape her, Kaylee pulls out the razor blade, kills the buyer, and runs away. Willie and his crew arrive to get rid of the dead body. Kaylee returns to the house and hides in Bobby's car. She sees Willie hit Bobby and order him to leave.

Bobby goes home to his wife Linda and son Junior. When he leaves the room, Kaylee enters the house and ties his family up, putting tape over their mouths to stop them from screaming. Bobby returns and a fight ensues, with Kaylee using her expertise as a boxer to gain the upper hand. After tying him up, Kaylee demands information about her sister but he refuses to answer. She stabs him in the leg, threatens to cut off Linda's ear, and begins to waterboard him. An uncooperative Bobby drowns to death.

Kaylee interrogates Linda and learns that Willie owns a train yard where he will transport the next "batch" of kidnapped girls. Kaylee arrives at the train yard with only Bobby's gun in her possession. At gunpoint, one of Willie's truck drivers tells her that the girls are in a nearby warehouse. She finds them and tells them to escape when the procurer from before spots her. He runs away and Kaylee shoots him several times. She questions him but he begins to apologize and beg instead. Kaylee walks away, letting the procurer bleed to death. Kaylee reveals that she has hidden Linda and Junior in her car. She orders Linda to take him to Willie, who lives in a mansion.

Inside the house, Linda is greeted by Willie's wife Debra, who says Willie is in the library. She mentions that Linda regularly visited them every time Bobby became aggressive. In the bathroom, Linda messages Kaylee with the correct information about where Willie is but also calls 9-1-1 before leaving. Kaylee holds Willie at gunpoint and asks about Weeta. Debra barges into the room with a gun and accidentally shoots Willie in the face. Kaylee shoots and kills Debra as Debra shoots again, hitting Kaylee in the stomach. In her final moments, Kaylee imagines what her life would have been if she had succeeded, as she envisions herself entering her comeback boxing match.

Cast

Production

Catch the Fair One was shot in Buffalo, New York, with Ross Giardina serving as cinematographer.[4] The film was executive produced by Darren Aronofsky.[5] It is the acting debut of professional boxer Kali Reis, who is active in the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMWIG) movement.[6][7] The film is dedicated to sound mixer Michael Wolf Snyder, who died by suicide at the age of 35.[8]

Release

The film had its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on June 12, 2021.[9][10] By the end of its run, the film screened at festivals in Deauville,[11] Jerusalem,[12] San Diego,[13] Warsaw,[14] and Woodstock.[15] In August 2021, IFC Films bought the film's distribution rights. The film was released in the United States on February 11, 2022.[16] In April 2022, IFC Films signed an output deal with AMC+. The film is set to be released on the streaming service on May 13, 2022.[17]

Reception

Box office

In the United States and Canada, the film earned $7,992 from thirty theaters in its opening weekend.[18] It made $8,625 from eight theaters in its second weekend,[19] and $6,397 from three theaters in its third,[20] $295 from one theater in its fourth,[21] $244 from two theaters in its fifth,[22] and $210 from two theaters in its sixth.[23]

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 94% of 62 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.4/10. The website's consensus reads: "A serious-minded drama that's also a propulsive thriller, Catch the Fair One anchors its powerful performances in real-life horror."[24] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 71 out of 100, based on 16 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[25]

Screen Rant's Mae Abdulbaki said the film was "strongest in action mode".[26] Nick Schager of The Daily Beast praised the film for its "portrait of white men exploiting Native American women for profit and sexual gratification", adding that "[it] isn't lost on the film..."[27] David Ehrlich from IndieWire said "[t]here isn't much for Catch the Fair One to find at the end of the line, but it looks for its invisible women - indigenous and otherwise - with the urgency of someone who knows what seeing them would actually mean".[28]

Accolades

Catch the Fair One competed for Best Film at festivals in Deauville,[29][30] and Warsaw,[31] and won the award at the Sidewalk and Tribeca Film Festivals.[32][10] Reis won Best Actress at the Newport Beach Film Festival,[33] and received a nomination in the same category at the 37th Independent Spirit Awards.[34]

References

  1. ↑ "Catch the Fair One". Tribeca Film Festival. Retrieved June 20, 2021.
  2. ↑ "Catch the Fair One". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
  3. ↑ "Catch the Fair One". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
  4. ↑ Gyarkye, Lovia (February 11, 2022). "Catch the Fair One: Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 12, 2022.
  5. ↑ Wiseman, Andreas (April 21, 2021). "Memento International Boards Catch The Fair One From Nomadland Producer Mollye Asher & Exec Producer Darren Aronofsky". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 12, 2022.
  6. ↑ Scott, Craig (February 4, 2021). "Kali Reis: Everything - or nothing at all". Boxing Social. Retrieved June 11, 2022.
  7. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (February 11, 2022). "ICM & Authentic Talent & Lit Management Sign Catch The Fair One Boxer, Actress & Writer Kali Reis". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 12, 2022.
  8. ↑ Del Rosario, Alexandra (March 6, 2021). "Nomadland Production Sound Mixer Michael Wolf Snyder Dies at 35". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 12, 2022.
  9. ↑ Rubin, Rebecca (April 20, 2021). "Tribeca Film Festival Unveils 2021 Lineup". Variety. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  10. 1 2 Hayes, Dade (June 24, 2021). "Tribeca Festival Draws Solid Crowds In Person And Online For Covid Comeback Edition". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 12, 2022.
  11. ↑ Keslassy, Elsa (August 10, 2021). "Pig, Red Rocket, Pleasure in Deauville Festival Competition Lineup". Variety. Retrieved February 12, 2022.
  12. ↑ "Catch the Fair One". Jerusalem Film Festival. Retrieved October 6, 2021.
  13. ↑ "Catch the Fair One". San Diego Asian Film Festival. Retrieved October 6, 2021.
  14. ↑ "Warsaw International Film Festival 2021". MUBI (in Italian). Retrieved October 6, 2021.
  15. ↑ Hayes, Dade (September 1, 2021). "Woodstock Film Festival Announces Slate For This Fall's 22nd Edition". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on September 1, 2021. Retrieved October 6, 2021.
  16. ↑ Lang, Brent (August 4, 2021). "IFC Films Buys Catch the Fair One, Thriller Starring Boxing Champ Kali Reis (Exclusive)". Variety. Retrieved February 12, 2022.
  17. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (April 26, 2022). "IFC Films Moves Output Deal To AMC+; Streamer Launches Friday Night Movie Slate With Clean". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 5, 2022.
  18. ↑ "Domestic 2022 Weekend 6". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
  19. ↑ "Domestic 2022 Weekend 7". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved February 23, 2022.
  20. ↑ "Domestic 2022 Weekend 8". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved March 1, 2022.
  21. ↑ "Domestic 2022 Weekend 9". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
  22. ↑ "Domestic 2022 Weekend 10". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
  23. ↑ "Domestic 2022 Weekend 11". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  24. ↑ "Catch the Fair One". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved April 13, 2022.
  25. ↑ "Catch the Fair One". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved April 13, 2022.
  26. ↑ Abdulbaki, Mae (June 22, 2021). "Tribeca Review: Catch The Fair One Is An Intensely Captivating Revenge Thriller". Screen Rant. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
  27. ↑ Schager, Nick (June 14, 2021). "A Fearless Boxer Infiltrates a Horrifying Sex-Trafficking Ring". The Daily Beast. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
  28. ↑ Ehrlich, David (June 14, 2021). "Catch the Fair One Review: Boxer Kali Reis Delivers a Knockout Performance in Bruising Sex Trafficking Thriller". IndieWire. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
  29. ↑ Keslassy, Elsa (August 10, 2021). "Pig, Red Rocket, Pleasure in Deauville Festival Competition Lineup". Variety. Retrieved March 2, 2022.
  30. ↑ Keslassy, Elsa (September 11, 2021). "Red Rocket, Blue Bayou and Down With the King Among 2021 Deauville Film Festival Winners". Variety. Retrieved March 2, 2022.
  31. ↑ Blaney, Martin (October 18, 2021). "Warsaw's top prize goes to Bogdan George Apetri's Miracle". Screen Daily. Retrieved March 2, 2022.
  32. ↑ "2021 Sidewalk Film Festival Award Winners". Sidewalk Film Festival. August 29, 2021. Retrieved March 2, 2022.
  33. ↑ "22nd Annual Newport Beach Film Festival Announces 2021 Awards Winners". Newport Beach Film Festival. November 1, 2021. Retrieved March 2, 2022.
  34. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony; Goldsmith, Jill (December 14, 2021). "Film Independent Spirit Awards Nominations: Zola, A Chiara, C'mon C'mon, The Lost Daughter, The Novice In Best Feature Race As A24 Sweeps Nods". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 2, 2022.
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