‘The Iron Claw’: a grand director turns the pathos of wrestling into tragedy

There is always something tragic in pathos. In a body pumped up with nandrolone, bulging muscles, an artificial appearance, veins on the verge of bursting. In an American wrestling match and its environment, in the falsehood of the bravado of the contenders on television days prior to the event, in the glitz of the ring, in the exaggeration of the fights, in the choreographic theater of synthetic brawn and plain stupidity. But what goes on inside the minds and hearts of these wrestlers? How do their lives unfold, where do they come from and where are they headed? What is there really to them? Sean Durkin is one of the best unknown directors of the last decade, although his name is yet to become established among the general public. He has only made three films in 12 years, and he has posed the question in the outstanding The Iron Claw, a title based on true events, about the Von Erich brothers during the first half of the 1980s. Four poignant and tragic kids, who are brimming with passion.

Curiously, two of the best films with a sporting setting, dramatic quality and mysteriously disturbing background in recent years have been about wrestling and have been directed by fairly young and unprolific filmmakers whose vision is as unaccommodating to the setting as it is affectionate to its subjects. Bennett Miller’s extraordinary Foxcatcher (2014), winner of the Best Director Award at the Cannes Film Festival, about Olympic wrestling and which is also based on a true story, and Durkin’s film deal with much more than sport, as they delve into the lives of their contenders and the social and moral ground that elevates them.

In The Iron Claw, there is a poignant reflection on the white tradition of middle America in the 1980s. The Von Erich family is headed by a very tough father, who pours his own frustrations onto his children because he himself failed to become a world champion and now wants to do so through his sons. The trinity in this household consists of firearms, Christian crucifixes and sporting trophies. The living room is dominated by a father that forces them to lead a life that is full of artifice and showmanship, but also of dignity. And the tragic episodes, portrayed by Durkin in the second part of the story, are marked by subdued light and ochre colors that enhance the gloomy nature of their lives.

Born in Canada, raised in the UK and trained as a filmmaker in the U.S., Durkin launched his career with Martha Marcy May Marlene (2011). This is a compelling reflection on the delirium of cults as a refuge for young people who are cornered or experiencing an existential crisis. After directing the magnificent TV miniseries Southcliffe (2013) he had only made one more feature film: The Nest (2021), an eerie social drama set in the heights of power, with the feel of a horror thriller and tremendous artistic expression. His cinematographic talent for storytelling and mise-en-scène is once again evident in The Iron Claw, especially in the second half of the story, which is agonizing because of its occurrences, but even more so because of its narrative and its design. In this regard, there are two striking moments: the ellipsis after Jeremy Allen White’s character’s nighttime flight on a motorcycle, and the long shot in the kitchen, both subtle and masterful, head-on and in a slight counterpoint, as he grabs the milk from the fridge; and the brothers’ happy reunion in the countryside at dusk.

Bolstered by a terrific cast (alongside The Bear star Jeremy Allen White are Mindhunter’s Holt McCallany, the striking Brit, Harris Dickinson and acting revelation Zac Efron), Durkin pitches his story in a somber tone with a touch of tenderness, and chooses the most daring path for a tale about the apparent shenanigans of wrestling. He tries to approach what might be close to slapstick comedy in a serious, respectful and earnest way. In doing so, he transforms something initially only poignant into something tragic and transcendent.

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