Small, Slow but Steady

In Sho Miyake’s drama, the bruises we hide are more devastating than the ones we show.

“I don’t like getting hurt.”

Despite her rising status as a professional boxer, Keiko Ogawa (Yukino Kishii) isn’t a fan of getting hurt. Of course she isn’t. No one is. Born deaf, Keiko’s life journey has never been easy but things get even tougher when the 2020 covid pandemic hits. Keiko is on the verge of a huge turning point in her boxing, but this positive swing in her life is marred by the ailing health of her coach (Tomokazu Miura), and the state of the once-prestigious boxing gym that is losing clients and mere weeks away from closing.

Based on the autobiography of the real-life boxer Keiko Ogasawara, Small, Slow but Steady is a character study first and a sports film second. But it’s a study of a character who is steadfastly opaque throughout the entire movie, closed off to a world that seems determined to keep her out of the loop. In the wake of the pandemic, with mask mandates, Keiko finds it almost impossible to understand others who don’t know sign, and as a response doesn’t let anyone understand her either.

She’s a woman to whom dignity is key, but whose stoic, unbreakable exterior hides frailness.  Small, Slow but Steady explores human weaknesses, and the fragility of ourselves through the lens of a sport known for being punishing on the body and the mind. Similar to films like The Wrestler, Small, Slow but Steady explores the traumas and home lives of its leads, but while the former explored the personal and professional dramas for a person at the end of their career, this movie looks at the pitfalls at the start. This lead isn’t exactly green, but it’s harder to see her go through her hardships than it is for a rugged, world-weary wrestler. Kishii puts a lot in to make this work and her performance is excellent throughout.

Sho Miyake’s movie is calm, even in its most dramatic scenes. There’s a visual and auditory peace to it that’s not particularly common in sports films. Likely owing to the deafness of its main character, a lot of the noise that would otherwise fill the background of another film is dulled or entirely omitted, along with any non-diegetic music. It makes for a refreshingly quiet movie experience, and one that allows the performances and emotion shine through. It’s in this peace that the movie finds its greatest strength, and puts it in a different league to other sports drama. After all, as they say: When you’re boxing, your head empties out. They call it “nothingness”.

Verdict: Miyake’s excellent cinematography and Kishii’s star turn make Small, Slow but Steady a welcome change of pace for sports films.

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Overall entertainment: 7/10
Violence: A sporting 5/10
Sex: 0/10
Sports: 7/10
Subs: Sometimes they just show up like text in a silent film
Mother: Can’t take a photo to save her life

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Small, Slow but Steady (2022)
Also known as: ケイコ 目を澄ませて; (Keiko Keep an Eye Out)
Japanese

Director: Sho Miyake
Writers: Sho Miyake, Keiko Ogasawara, Masaaki Sakai

CAST

Yukino Kishii – Keiko Ogawa
Tomokazu Miura – Katsumi Sasaki
Masaki Miura – Kobayashi
Shinichiro Matsuura – Matsumoto
Himi Sato – Seiji Ogawa
Hiroko Nakajima – Kiyomi Ogawa
Nobuko Sendo – Chiharu