Red Rain on AllMovie

This gritty and inspiring documentary takes a look at 35-year-old female boxer and welterweight world champion Gina "Boom Boom" Guidi. A born underdog, Guidi has battled tooth and nail to get out of her dead-end neighborhood -- and has struggled with drug and alcohol dependence, domestic violence, poverty, and her sexual orientation along the way. In spite of her hardscrabble life, her turn to boxing affords her few breaks: female boxers get little respect in the world of boxing, where officials believe that women can't box and audiences often seem more interested in the sordid mud-wrestling side of the sport. Moreover, homophobia consistently dogs her; though she has competed in the Gay Olympics, the boxing press threatens to out her. Combining her personal and professional history with behind-the-scenes footage of her attempting to win the IFBA's junior middle weight championship belt, the film charts Guidi's hard-fought triumph over seemingly insurmountable adversity. This film was screened at the San Francisco Lesbian & Gay Film Festival.