Educational Media Reviews Online

Virginia Roma longs to get away from her Managua barrio life. She lives in a house with no plumbing, and has never seen the ocean. Selling sweets on the street, her mother is the sole breadwinner, whose live-in lover is an unemployed drunk and possible pedophile. Her oldest brother is a crackhead, and her presumptive boyfriend is a cop-killing gang leader named Snake. In an environment poisoned with machismo, she is a female boxer with a transgender best friend.

But Yuma sees boxing as her ticket out, and she has other good friends in her corner, including a boxing coach/exotic dancer who gets her a shot at the big time, and an endlessly patient, kind hearted boss.

To say that La Yuma is an engaging story with a wonderful treatment from all involved is no understatement. Do not get the idea for a moment that this is a "female Rocky" picture. No one gets beaten to a bloody pulp, and there are no miraculous resurrections. But it is real; it is at times gritty, and it certainly has heart. I was sorry to see it end, and can easily imagine it as a discussion starter in a women's studies course, or filmmaking course, besides being just a memorably entertaining experience.

The film is visually arresting, with colorful murals, lush jungles, mountains, and beaches juxtaposed with scenes of urban squalor. The music is a perfect accompaniment to the story, from the theme to the circus music and heavy metal concert.

Alma Blanco is outstanding as the Wildcat, winning Best Actress at the Cartagena Film Festival and the Gramada Film Festival in 2010. Among other awards taken, writer/director Florence Jaugey won Best First Film at the 2010 Guadalajara International Film Festival.