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In true traditional mode, the 83rd Academy Awards showcased the best gems from the Hollywood stable — from the concept and technology-driven Inception to the sublime The Fighter and the subtle The King’s Speech. Speaking of sublimity, David O Russell’s The Fighter appealed to me as it explored vistas not unknown, but those we tend to ignore so conveniently.

The film is a family drama with a pugilistic background. Based on the true story of Lowell, Massachusetts-born bruiser “Irish” Micky Ward, The Fighter is, at heart, the story of one guy’s turbulent relationship with his eccentric extended family. What makes the film interesting is that it exposes those festering qualities that prevent us from bonding with one another. We have the protagonist, a professional boxer, torn between his possessive mother who doubles up as his manager, his brother and trainer who is given to his errant ways and his girlfriend who exhorts him to follow the individualistic streak for his own good. As egos of those close to him clash, the protagonist suffers psychological pangs and is almost on the verge of forsaking his dream. It is then that the brother steps in to mend fences, asks everyone to bury their hatchet in support of the man they all claim to love. It’s this “oneness” that helps the fighter to emerge a victor in the end.

The love of a family is life’s very cornerstone and the lack of it can prove ruinous. While agreeing with English essayist, Joseph Addison in principle, we often forget to follow what we ourselves acknowledge. Our actions, our perception and our intention are sometimes at loggerheads when it comes to dealing with people whom we claim to love. Russell’s The Fighter, while being a metaphor for the fighting spirit in all of us, underlines the fact that every achiever needs his family and friends to stand by him to make his day. Achievement is not an individual effort, but a collective endeavour of many which spotlights the talent of one. For the sake of love for whom we hold dear, shouldn’t we sink our petty differences and become one?