Shot over the course of eight years, Ringside is a delicate portrayal of two gifted adolescent boxers on Chicago’s notorious South Side, who, despite their immense talents, are weighed down by the familial and societal pressures of the turbulent community in which they are being raised. An example of observational filmmaking at its most effective, the documentary probes issues of intergenerational deprivation, gang violence, racial suppression and the prison industrial complex. It is sincere and honest in its endeavours, striking a tone of subtlety and tenderness throughout and providing a beautiful account of the boys’ complicated relationships with the world in which they live. RG