First Match

First Match (2018) is a coming-of-age drama you can watch online on iFILM. Directed by Olivia Newman, it's set in the Brownsville neighborhood of Brooklyn and follows Monique — Mo — a teenager raised across foster homes who has learned to handle everything on her own.

When her father (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), once a wrestler himself, comes back from prison, Mo joins her school's all-boys wrestling team as a way to win herself back into his life. On the mat she squares off against guys twice as cocky and gets used to bruises faster than to talking about how she feels. It's a quiet indie, carried by a striking debut from Elvire Emanuelle with Colman Domingo in support — a film about growing up, fathers and daughters, and anger with nowhere to put it. Stream First Match (2018) online on iFILM.