Scorsese-ish with a female lead character

Rating: 8/10 (24 January 2018)

As someone born in Mexico in 1995, I approached this movie completely unbiased and unaware of all the media circus surrounding the Tonya Harding controversy in the 90's, that most americans are familiar with. Maybe it was this emotional distance that allowed me to fully enjoy the movie and just let the characters take me through a story that was completely new to me.
My opinion about Tonya Harding now is that she is a fighter. Someone with the sensibility to love a graceful and beautiful sport such as figure-skating, who, at the same time, had to grow a very thick skin and toughen up to endure all the rough stuff that life (and especially those closer to her) kept throwing at her.
This is a different kind of sports film. There isn't a big final competition where the underdog beats the odds and wins, with a happy ending. It's more about Tonya's personal and domestic life than it is about her as an athlete.
Characters constantly break the fourth wall and all the humor is very dark, as it invites you to laugh at the violence between the character's interactions.
You can see the influence of Martin Scorsese in the filmakers' choice of story, music and cinematography. Here, instead of a real-life inspired male lead character who is violent, we get the story of a female lead character who is violent as a result of the violence inflicted upon her first by her mother and later, her husband.
I really enjoyed the perfomance of all the main actors, especially Margot Robbie, Allison Janney and Sebastian Stan. I thought Margot made Tonya a compelling and sympathetic character; Sebastian was good and believable as the nightmarish husband; Janney made the most out of her supporting character and gave a very strong performance.
I would recommend the movie to those who enjoy black humor and aren't easily offended by depictions of domestic violence and profanity.
Also, it's probably more enjoyable for those who are a bit emotionally distant from the Tonya Harding story and have a more open mind about it.
For some, it might even change your opinion about her or -as in my case- make it.