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First Match

First Match is a 2018 American coming-of-age sports drama film written and directed by Olivia Newman in her feature-length directorial debut.^[1] The story centers on Monique, a resilient teenage girl from Brooklyn's Brownsville neighborhood raised in foster care, who joins her high school's all-boys wrestling team as a way to reconnect with her estranged, incarcerated father.^[2] Starring Elvire Emanuelle as Monique, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as her father Darrel, and Colman Domingo as Coach Castile, the film explores themes of family, identity, and perseverance amid urban challenges.^[3] Adapted from Newman's own 2010 short film of the same name, First Match was produced with a focus on authentic representation, including an inclusion rider to ensure diverse hiring in front of and behind the camera.^[1] Filming took place in Brooklyn, capturing the raw energy of the neighborhood, with wrestling sequences emphasizing the physical and emotional intensity of the sport.^[4] The project highlights the struggles of young women in male-dominated spaces, drawing from real-life inspirations to portray Monique's journey from isolation to self-discovery.^[5] First Match premiered at the South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Festival on March 12, 2018, where it won the Audience Award in the Narrative Feature Competition and the LUNA Gamechanger Award.^[6] Netflix acquired the distribution rights shortly after and released the film globally on its streaming platform on March 30, 2018.^[7] Critically, it received positive reviews for its strong performances, particularly Emanuelle's breakout role, and its unflinching depiction of adolescence, holding an 85% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 20 reviews.^[8] The film has been praised for advancing conversations around gender equity in sports and storytelling.^[4]

Plot

Summary

First Match centers on Monique, known as Mo, a 15-year-old girl from Brooklyn's Brownsville neighborhood who has endured years in foster care. Eager to reconnect with her estranged father, Darrel, who has just been released from prison, Mo turns to wrestling—a sport her father once excelled in—as a means of bridging their emotional divide. Having learned basic moves from videos Darrel sent her while incarcerated, she boldly tries out for her high school's all-boys wrestling team, defying gender norms in pursuit of his approval and attention.^[4]^[9] Once on the team under the guidance of Coach Castile, Mo encounters significant challenges during training, including initial resistance and physical confrontations from her male teammates who question her presence and toughness, while her friend Omari provides support. Darrel, leveraging his past as a wrestler, becomes involved but complicates matters by pushing Mo toward underground street fights to earn quick money, exploiting her skills for his own financial gain amid their strained family dynamics. Meanwhile, Mo navigates personal turmoil, including her involvement in a risky relationship with her foster mother's boyfriend and complicated relationships with teammates, which add layers of vulnerability to her already precarious life.^[4]^[10]^[11] The narrative builds toward a climactic wrestling match that tests Mo's resolve, intertwining her athletic ambitions with the unresolved tensions in her relationship with Darrel and her quest for independence. Throughout, wrestling serves as a metaphor for Mo's personal battles, highlighting her determination amid adversity.^[4]^[12]

Themes

First Match explores the theme of family reconciliation through the protagonist Monique's complex relationship with her estranged father, highlighting the emotional intricacies of parental absence and a child's persistent idolization of a flawed parent. The film portrays Monique's drive to bridge the gap left by her father's abandonment, underscoring how such dynamics foster both hope and vulnerability in seeking approval from an unreliable figure. This motif emerges as a central emotional undercurrent, illustrating the challenges of rebuilding familial bonds amid cycles of disappointment.^[4]^[13]^[14] Gender barriers in sports form another key theme, with Monique's participation in boys' wrestling serving as a powerful challenge to traditional notions of masculinity and a catalyst for female empowerment within urban settings. By entering a male-dominated arena, the narrative critiques societal resistance to women's involvement in contact sports, emphasizing how such barriers reinforce gender stereotypes while showcasing Monique's tenacity in defying them. This exploration extends to broader empowerment, where athletic achievement becomes a pathway for asserting agency in restrictive environments.^[4]^[13]^[14]^[12] Urban youth struggles are prominently depicted through the lens of poverty, the foster system's rigors, and underground fighting as a means of survival in Brownsville, Brooklyn. The narrative conveys the harsh realities of economic disadvantage and institutional neglect, portraying how these elements shape daily existence and force young people into high-risk survival strategies. Monique's experiences exemplify the broader socio-economic challenges faced by inner-city adolescents, where limited opportunities amplify feelings of isolation and urgency.^[4]^[14]^[12] Finally, the film delves into resilience and self-destruction, mirroring Monique's determination in wrestling with her deeper internal conflicts and the potential costs of her choices. This duality presents athletic pursuit as both a source of empowerment and a reflection of self-sabotaging behaviors driven by unmet emotional needs. Through this theme, First Match illustrates how resilience in one domain can coexist with destructive impulses in another, offering a nuanced view of personal growth amid adversity.^[4]^[13]^[14]^[12]

Cast and Characters

Principal Roles

Elvire Emanuelle portrays Monique, known as "Mo," a resilient 16-year-old from Brooklyn's Brownsville neighborhood who has been toughened by years in the foster care system and is fiercely driven by her desire to reconnect with her estranged father.^[4] In her feature film debut, Emanuelle delivers a performance that captures Mo's raw athletic prowess on the wrestling mat alongside her underlying emotional vulnerability, central to the story's exploration of family loyalty and personal growth.^[13]^[14] Yahya Abdul-Mateen II plays Darrel, Mo's charismatic yet unreliable ex-convict father and former wrestling champion who returns from prison, offering a flawed model of paternal influence that both inspires and complicates her journey.^[4]^[15] Abdul-Mateen II's portrayal highlights Darrel's charm masking his self-serving tendencies, as he encourages Mo's involvement in wrestling and underground fights, underscoring the tense father-daughter dynamics at the film's core.^[16] Colman Domingo stars as Coach Castile, the disciplined high school wrestling coach who initially integrates Mo into the all-boys team and provides her with essential guidance on technique and mental fortitude amid her challenges.^[13] Domingo embodies the coach as a straight-laced mentor figure who delivers motivational insights, helping Mo navigate the rigors of the sport and her personal struggles, thereby contributing to her development in the narrative.^[17]^[18]

Supporting Roles

Jharrel Jerome plays Omari, Monique's close friend and fellow wrestler on the team, whose perceptive nature and humorous demeanor provide moments of levity while demonstrating steadfast loyalty during escalating team rivalries and Monique's personal turmoil.^[4] Omari's supportive interventions help underscore the interpersonal tensions within the group, building a sense of camaraderie that contrasts with broader peer conflicts and enriches the depiction of high school dynamics.^[13] Jared Kemp portrays Malik, a teammate on the wrestling team with whom Monique develops a tense, flirty bond, highlighting the interpersonal dynamics and challenges of integration in a male-dominated environment.^[11]^[16] Kim Ramirez appears as Monique's foster mother, Lucila, offering brief but poignant insights into Monique's fractured home life and the limited emotional support available amid her instability.^[4] Lucila's quiet attempts at care, often rebuffed by Monique, add layers to the character's backstory without dominating the narrative, emphasizing the foster system's role in shaping interpersonal vulnerabilities and the broader socio-economic context of Brooklyn's youth.^[9] The ensemble cast of wrestlers and peers, including figures like Jimmy Gary Jr. and others, collectively depict the high school's rigid social structure and the gritty underground fight scene that influences the protagonists' choices.^[11] These roles amplify world-building by illustrating group rivalries, casual aggressions, and shifting alliances during practices and off-mat interactions, fostering a tense atmosphere that propels the central conflicts while maintaining focus on the leads' arcs.^[13]

Production

Development

"First Match" originated as an expansion of Olivia Newman's 2010 short film of the same name, which she created while studying at Columbia University's School of the Arts and which premiered at the New York Film Festival, earning awards at various festivals including Aspen Shortsfest.^[19]^[20] The short centered on a teenage girl wrestler from Brooklyn's Brownsville neighborhood, drawing inspiration from real-life athlete Nyasa Bakker, whose experiences informed the feature's script development.^[19] Newman's debut feature as writer-director marked her first full-length project, prioritizing authentic depictions of Brownsville's youth culture, diverse casting to reflect the community's demographics, and narratives centered on female athletes in male-dominated sports.^[19]^[20] The production was spearheaded by producers Chanelle Elaine, Veronica Nickel, and Bryan Unkeless under Clubhouse Pictures, adopting a low-budget independent approach to maintain creative control and focus on underrepresented stories.^[21]^[22] To ensure realism, Newman conducted extensive research, including immersion in the Brownsville community through consultations with local teenagers and a table read for script feedback, as well as interviews with girl wrestlers competing on boys' teams in New York City.^[19] She collaborated with the nonprofit organization Beat the Streets to study authentic wrestling techniques and dynamics, and drew from a documentary on Brownsville's underground girl fight clubs and reports on foster care challenges in the area.^[20]^[19] Casting emphasized authenticity by selecting non-professional actors from the Brownsville community for ensemble roles, allowing natural dialogue and behaviors to emerge organically, while lead Elvire Emanuelle, a Brooklyn native with no prior acting experience, underwent wrestling training under coach Mike Torriero.^[20] The script further evolved through participation in Sundance Institute's Screenwriters and Directors Labs, where Newman received guidance from mentors including Walter Mosley and Kasi Lemmons to refine the story's emotional depth and cultural specificity.^[19]

Filming

Principal photography for First Match took place primarily in Brooklyn, New York, with a focus on the ungentrified neighborhoods of Brownsville to capture the authentic grit of the protagonist's environment. Additional scenes were filmed in areas such as Crown Heights, Bed-Stuy, and Midwood, including interiors at Edward R. Murrow High School for school sequences. The production spanned 22 days, emphasizing a low-budget approach that prioritized realism over elaborate setups.^[23]^[24]^[25] The film's runtime totals 102 minutes, achieved through efficient low-budget techniques such as natural lighting and handheld cameras, which lent a raw, documentary-like quality to the proceedings and heightened the sense of urgency in the story. Cinematographer Ashley Connor employed these methods to create an intimate, naturalistic visual style, often running alongside actors to capture dynamic point-of-view shots that immersed viewers in the action. This approach avoided spectacle in favor of character-driven intimacy, particularly in emotional close-ups that revealed the psychological toll of the matches.^[3]^[25]^[20] Wrestling sequences were choreographed in collaboration with real athletes and coaches from the nonprofit organization Beat the Streets, which provided mats and expertise to ensure believable physicality. Lead actress Elvire Emanuelle underwent five weeks of intensive training with these coaches, several mornings a week, to perform her own stunts and embody the discipline of a wrestler, allowing for authentic on-screen confrontations without relying heavily on doubles.^[20]^[1] Filming faced challenges in coordinating the underground fight scenes, which incorporated local Brownsville community members familiar with such environments for added realism, though production was briefly disrupted when police arrived during one setup, prompting quick adaptations like using authentic slang from extras. School environments required careful integration with real athletic programs to maintain verisimilitude, while the overall emphasis remained on tight, personal framing to foreground character development amid logistical constraints.^[20]^[26]

Release

Premiere

First Match had its world premiere at the South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Festival on March 12, 2018, at the Stateside Theater in Austin, Texas.^[27] The screening was part of the Narrative Feature Competition and was attended by director Olivia Newman and cast members, including lead actress Elvire Emanuelle.^[28]^[26] SXSW 2018 emphasized diverse voices and experiences in its programming, and First Match aligned with this focus through its story of a young Black woman from Brooklyn's foster care system joining an all-boys wrestling team.^[29]^[13] Post-screening discussions, including interviews with the cast and crew, generated early buzz around the film's themes of representation and personal resilience.^[26]^[12] The film earned the SXSW LUNA Gamechanger Award on March 13, 2018, and the Audience Award in the Narrative Feature Competition, announced on March 17, 2018, enhancing its profile prior to wider release.^[6]^[30]

Distribution

First Match was released exclusively on Netflix as an original film on March 30, 2018, making it available to subscribers worldwide through the streaming platform.^[2] This digital-first approach allowed the film to reach a global audience without a traditional theatrical rollout. Prior to its streaming debut, the film had no wide theatrical release and was limited to screenings at festivals like SXSW and select events.^[1] For home media, First Match remains accessible primarily via Netflix subscription, with no official physical releases such as DVD or Blu-ray produced, underscoring Netflix's emphasis on streaming-only distribution for its originals.^[2] Marketing efforts centered on promotional trailers that showcased the film's intense wrestling sequences and themes of family reconciliation and personal resilience, distributed across Netflix's platforms and YouTube.^[31] These campaigns targeted young adult viewers and diverse audiences, aligning with the story's focus on underrepresented communities in Brooklyn.^[21] The film's distribution contributed to Netflix's growing portfolio of sports dramas, enhancing the service's offerings in the genre, and it has maintained sustained availability on the platform as of 2025.^[2]

Reception

Critical Response

First Match received positive reviews from critics, earning an 85% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 20 reviews, with an average rating of 7.3/10.^[8] Critics praised the film's authentic depiction of life in Brooklyn's Brownsville neighborhood and Elvire Emanuelle's breakout performance as the protagonist Monique.^[13]^[4] RogerEbert.com awarded the film 2.5 out of four stars, lauding its emotional depth and success in avoiding typical sports movie clichés by focusing on themes of self-destruction rather than triumph.^[4] Variety highlighted the realism of its female-led narrative, particularly in the tense wrestling and underground boxing sequences that underscore the physical and emotional stakes for the characters.^[13] Some critics pointed out melodramatic elements and pacing issues, especially in the underground fight subplots. For instance, TheWrap described the film as bordering on "poverty porn" in its portrayal of foster care struggles, though it still commended the strong performances and direction.^[16] On IMDb, the film holds a user rating of 6.4/10 from over 2,600 votes, with users frequently acclaiming the direction and fight choreography for their intensity and authenticity.^[3] The overall critical consensus views First Match as a strong feature debut for director Olivia Newman, valued for its representation of urban youth stories in a gritty, underrepresented context.^[8]^[13]

Accolades

The short film version of First Match, directed by Olivia Newman in 2010 while she was a student at Columbia University, received several festival accolades that helped establish its reputation and paved the way for the feature adaptation. It won the Best Student Short award at the 2012 Aspen Shortsfest.^[32] Additionally, it earned the Best Short Film prize at the 2012 New Jersey International Film Festival.^[32] The 2018 feature film premiered at the South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Festival, where it garnered significant recognition in the Narrative Feature category. It won the Audience Award, voted by festival attendees for its compelling storytelling.^[6] The film also received the SXSW LUNA Gamechanger Award, which honors innovative works addressing underrepresented voices in cinema.^[30] It was nominated for the Grand Jury Award but did not win.^[33] Beyond SXSW, First Match did not receive major industry nominations, such as from the Academy Awards or Golden Globes. However, lead actress Elvire Emanuelle's debut performance as Monique "Mo" Green was highlighted in several industry outlets as a breakout turn, contributing to her early career visibility.^[14] Post-release on Netflix in March 2018, the film saw limited additional festival honors, with its primary acclaim remaining tied to the SXSW successes and the platform's broad exposure.^[33]

References

[1]
'First Match' Filmmaker & Cast Champion Strong Representation Of ...
Mar 12, 2018 · In Netflix's forthcoming drama First Match, rising star Elvire Emanuelle plays Monique, a teenage girl from Brooklyn's Brownsville neighborhood ...Missing: details | Show results with:details
[2]
Watch First Match | Netflix Official Site
A tenacious high school girl raised in foster homes tries to reconnect with her ex-con father by joining a boys wrestling team. Watch trailers & learn more.
[3]
First Match (2018) - IMDb
Rating 6.4/10 (2,656) It was written and directed by Olivia Newman, and it stars Elvire Emanuelle, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Colman Domingo, Jharrel Jerome, and Jared Kemp. The film was ...
[4]
First Match movie review & film summary (2018) | Roger Ebert
Rating 3/4 · Review by Jessica RitcheyMar 30, 2018 · A hard story about a young woman having to decide if she should destroy herself for the person who deserves it the least.
[5]
Inclusion riders make 'First Match' a game-changing Netflix film
Mar 29, 2018 · Exhibit A: First Match, the film festival hit that begins streaming Friday on Netflix. (The NSFW trailer is here.) “Apparently we did have an ...
[6]
2018 SXSW Film Festival Announces Audience Award Winners
2018 SXSW Film Festival Audience Awards Winners: Narrative Feature Competition: First Match Director: Olivia Newman. Documentary Feature Competition ...
[7]
Netflix's First Match Review - IGN
Rating 9.8/10 · Review by Kenneth Seward Jr.Mar 29, 2018 · First Match begins streaming on Netflix on March 30. A coming of age story. That's what I would liken First Match to.
[8]
First Match | Rotten Tomatoes
Rating 85% (20) A teenage girl from Brooklyn's Brownsville neighborhood decides that joining the all-boys wrestling team is the only way back to her estranged father.
[9]
'First Match': Film Review - The Hollywood Reporter
Apr 5, 2018 · A teenager in still-ungentrified Brooklyn finds an unlikely way of connecting to her ex-con father in Olivia Newman's First Match.<|control11|><|separator|>
[10]
Netflix Movie First Match Is Full Of Black Girl Magic - Refinery29
Apr 2, 2018 · First Match opens with Monique's belongings being thrown out of the window by her foster mother because the woman suspects Monique of sleeping ...
[11]
First Match (2018) - Full cast & crew - IMDb
Cast ; Elvire Emanuelle · Mo ; Yahya Abdul-Mateen II · Darrel ; Colman Domingo · Coach Castile ; Jharrel Jerome · Omari ; Kim Ramirez · Lucila.Missing: details | Show results with:details
[12]
SXSW FILM REVIEW: 'First Match' An Emotional, Heartfelt Wrestling ...
Mar 13, 2018 · First Match is more than a story about the struggle to succeed in sports; it's a film about the struggle for life and betterment, for the question of surviving ...
[13]
SXSW Film Review: 'First Match' - Variety
Mar 21, 2018 · Elvire Emanuelle sparkles in this bruising drama about a foster kid who worships her no-good dad and becomes an underground boxer.Missing: themes analysis
[14]
First Match Review: Netflix Wrestles With a Strong Coming-of-Age ...
SXSW · David Ehrlich · Grade: B.
[15]
Review: First Match - Slant Magazine
Rating 2.5/4 · Review by Wes GreeneMar 27, 2018 · Once her father, Darrel (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), a former high school wrestling star, is released from prison, she joins her Brownsville high ...
[16]
'First Match' Film Review: Netflix's Female-Wrestler Drama Needs ...
Mar 30, 2018 · 'First Match' Film Review: Netflix's Female-Wrestler Drama Needs Breathing Room ... money. When we meet her, she's in the process of being kicked ...Missing: protagonist | Show results with:protagonist
[17]
First Match – HCMovieReviews - WordPress.com
Apr 9, 2018 · Mo's story is driven by her constant and brash decisions to prove everybody wrong. She intends to do this by proving her toughness in the ...
[18]
First Match (2018) reviewed by Jonathan Berk - Berkreviews.com
Apr 9, 2018 · ... Coach Castle (Colman Domingo) treats her just like any other interested student. Emanuelle is an immense talent who stands strong in this film.Missing: Castile | Show results with:Castile
[19]
'First Match': A coming-of-age movie in which a girl wrestles with boys
Newman developed the feature from a 2010 short film by the same name that she made in graduate school. For that ...
[20]
Olivia Newman on Getting the Best of Wrestling with "First Match"
Mar 30, 2018 · The writer/director talks about pinning down the reality of a fierce female wrestler (Elvire Emanuelle) making her way up a boys' high ...
[21]
'First Match' Trailer: Netflix High School Wrestling Drama Bows At ...
Mar 9, 2018 · Producers are Chanelle Elaine, Veronica Nickel and Bryan Unkeless. First Match launches March 30 on Netflix. Take a look at the trailer above, ...
[22]
First Match - Tribeca Film Institute
Olivia received her MFA in Film from Columbia University. First Match · Bryan Unkeless. PRODUCER. Bryan Unkeless is the principal at Clubhouse Pictures. He is ...
[23]
First Match | Netflix Media Center
From producers Chanelle Elaine, Veronica Nickel and Bryan Unkeless, First Match is the first feature film for writer/director Olivia Newman. Film. Dramas ...
[24]
Elvire Emanuelle and Olivia Newman Speak On Netflix's 'First Match ...
Mar 30, 2018 · Netflix's First Match, written and directed by Olivia Newman, and starring Elvira Emanuelle is a new women-led film that's changing the game.<|control11|><|separator|>
[25]
Netflix Movie, First Match, shot at Murrow
Jun 11, 2018 · The movie uses multiple locations around the school, which include the cafeteria, the hall next to the 240 suite, the guidance suite, and ...
[26]
First Match - 500 Days Of Film
Hardened by years in foster care, Mo (Elvire Emanuelle), a teenage girl from Brooklyn's Brownsville neighborhood, decides that joining the all-boy's wrestling ...<|control11|><|separator|>
[27]
SXSW 2018: First Match interviews with Writer-Director Olivia ...
Mar 27, 2018 · First Match is Olivia Newman's feature directorial debut, based off a short film she wrote and directed while at Columbia University. This is ...
[28]
63 First Match Premiere 2018 Sxsw Conference And Festivals Stock ...
Cast and crew onstage at the premiere of "First Match" during SXSW at Stateside Theater on March 12, 2018 in Austin, Texas.
[29]
2018 Film Festival Lineup | SXSW Conference & Festivals
First Match (World Premiere) Director/Screenwriter: Olivia Newman Hardened ... money is on the line. Cast: Michael Kelly, Josh Lucas, Pamela Adlon, Tom ...
[30]
[PDF] SXSW Film Social Events
Mar 19, 2012 · First Match. Director/Screenwriter: Olivia Newman. World Premiere | USA | 2017 | 102 MIN. Narrative Feature Competition. Hardened by years in ...
[31]
[PDF] SXSW FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES 2018 JURY AND SPECIAL ...
Mar 13, 2018 · Feature films receiving Jury Awards were selected from the. Narrative Feature and Documentary Feature Competition categories. Films in ...
[32]
First Match | Official Trailer [HD] | Netflix - YouTube
Mar 9, 2018 · Hardened by years in foster care, a teenage girl from Brooklyn's Brownsville neighborhood decides that joining the all-boys' wrestling team ...
[33]
Olivia Newman (USA) - Cine Qua Non Lab
Aug 2, 2014 · Her short film First Match won Best Student Short at the 2012 Aspen Shortsfest, Best Short Film at the 2012 New Jersey International Film ...
[34]
First Match (2018) - Awards - IMDb
SXSW Film Festival ; 2018 Nominee SXSW Grand Jury Award. Narrative Feature ; 2018 Winner SXSW Gamechanger Award. Narrative ; 2018 Winner Audience Award. Narrative ...