“It’s not whether you get knocked down, it’s whether you get up.” A quote by the late, great Vince Lombardi has echoed through many a gym and locker room in the athletic world and beyond, chief among them in combat sports. Its use may have become diluted over the decades since it was first coined, but there’s just something captivating about its simplistic view of resilience. And for a champion fighter, this true tale is the greatest possible test of that.
The opening seconds of Twitch: The Story of Daniel Franco cue you into something pleasantly atypical for a biopic: an artisanal flair. A classic 4:3 aspect ratio as the rich colors of the morning skyline bloom, followed by striking black and white interview compositions set inside a boxing ring. Franco’s story is an unlikely one, and this documentary about his greatest fight measures up to that standard—it refuses to conform.
For those just catching up, Daniel “Twitch” Franco is a retired former IBF/USA Featherweight champion, winning the belt in 2016 after an undefeated trek towards glory. He would then suffer his first loss in 2017, a knockout that was preceded by unusually bleak circumstances in the lead-up; chief among them being illness and and a nasty sparring injury. Through interviews with training partners and those closest to Franco, we learn that he took a bad punch in training and was constantly sick, yet fought on and even scored a rebound win a month later in Mexico. Franco’s drive, coupled with management and a general neglect for past health issues, spelled disaster thirty-one days later, when he was brutally sent to the canvas by his opponent Jose Haro in their title bout. Haro walked away with a belt. Franco was rushed to the hospital, slipping into a coma on the way.
Too often, documentaries play out like Wikipedia page showcases: long-winded monologues, establishing shots, a few photographs, subject switches, and more photographs. Sterling Hampton IV’s direction, in conjunction with the cinematography by Adam Shattuck and Hampton, has the opposite effect: you’re essentially drawn in from minute one, eager to see and learn more because of their attention to detail. The film oozes style and thoughtfulness without sacrificing the visceral story at its heart, a tricky tightrope to walk. There are risks being taken, from music video-esque visual inserts, cartoon animations, and trippy 3D renders to a rich variety of storytelling elements that are integrated seamlessly.
The crux of the documentary focuses on Franco’s survival and his recovery after the evening of June 17th in Iowa. Through footage from the hospital, we see the grueling physical and mental reconstruction after his brain hemorrhages. His whole identity and his aspirations are all called into question, and even Franco’s friends admit he dearly missed the prospect of competing and potential stardom. The film works because of moments like these that introduce contradiction and frustration while also championing new horizons as the end product—something Daniel must discover as he changes course in his life. We get up close and personal with him, his brother Mike, and his mother, Teresa, even sitting down with Jose Haro for his perspective.
Twitch: The Story of Daniel Franco is both a powerful documentary and a stunningly creative piece of artisanal work in the same breath, armed with an affecting story of perseverance that is impossible not to applaud.
