Beyond the Mat

An unintentional period piece about the slices of the wrestling industry that are easiest to mine for accessible drama (drug culture, indie circuit, extreme violence, etc.). Credit is due for trying to humanize all of its participants to some degree, and this is probably the best film that could have been made with the captured footage. The film is over fifteen years old, though, and the business has undergone a considerable number of changes in the interim (not to mention that at least three of the interviewed peeps have since passed). A well-made documentary that now registers as sorely incomplete.

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