In her own words, former figure skater Tonya Harding became the punch-line to a joke after the revelations that her ex-husband had hired someone to smash the knee of her figure skating rival Nancy Kerrigan. There is real humour aplenty in Craig Gillespie’s deliciously black comedy biopic “I Tonya”. But the film also delivers moments when the audience finds its laughter choked by the realisation that the film is, in fact, a reflection of a stark and often violent reality. Characters (though, crucially, not Kerrigan) break the fourth wall to deliver their own judgement on the narrative, often using the precise words by their real-life counterparts in media interviews.

Harding is acknowledged as a magnificent athlete, only the second female skater in history (and, importantly, the first American woman) to execute and land a triple axel. But she never achieved the success she deserved because she never fitted in to the rarefied world of competitive figure skating. Harding came from what she admits some would call “white trash” background. Her mother is abusive and controlling, even of Tonya’s father, who leaves his distraught daughter behind when he moves out of the family home. Alison Janney is stunning as the scrawny, chain-smoking, take no prisoners LaVona, who displays not a shred of compassion or love. At one point she accuses her daughter of skating “like a graceless bull dyke.”

 Tonya is played with impressive zest and some tenderness by Margot Robbie, who also lends sympathy to the misunderstood character, but does not shirk from delivering foul-mouthed rants or even physically lashing out.  

Having escaped the domineering clutches of her mother--who even insists on accompanying her daughter on her first date--Tonya marries Jeff Gillooly (Sebastian Stan). But what promises to be a sweet romance quickly descends into jealousy and seemingly endless bouts of abhorrent abuse. “Nancy gets hit one time, and the whole world shits. For me it was an all-the-time occurrence,” she tells the audience. The fourth wall device masks the real tragedy of the story, at least as told by Harding. She is the victim here as much as Kerrigan, battered physically and emotionally, fighting against the odds and never getting her fair shot in front of biased judges. Finally, she is judged not only by the courts, but also by a public, eagerly fed by the media, yearning for a hate figure.

Whether she is a reliable witness is moot. This film, directed with almost hysterical passion for both story and sport (the skating performances are recreated in brilliant, exciting, detail) is a highly entertaining and surprisingly empathetic portrait of an underdog who happened to get caught up in one of the most controversial sporting incidents of the 1990s.

“I Tonya” is screening as of 21 February at Ciné Utopia in Limpertsberg and Ciné Scala in Diekirch. For details of times visit the Kinepolis Luxembourg website.

Watch the trailer to “I Tonya”