Saw a crazy kool interesting movie at MOMA last night, Gaea Girls, a documentary by Kim Longinotto. Filmed in 2000, its about professional female wrestling in Japan (at least one group) and it is no joke. These chicks are serious, and they don't mess around. Its like WWF, but real. The film centers on the training and new recruits of GAEA, a team from the professional wrestling world. It is shot almost entirely at their gym in rural Japan and the grueling training and lifestyle they live in order to achieve their dreams of becoming a professional wrestler. One of the main focuses is a young recruit, Saika Takeuchi. She tries once to pass the test to become accepted into the group and fails, miserably. She gets beaten and bloodied (think double footed sidekick to the mouth) and ultimately denied. She tries a second time and after another annihilation, is finally accepted. The founder of the group, is Chigusa Nagayo, a serious butch female and relentless, sadistic disciplinarian. She's an unapologetic abuser and is in fact proud of the way she treats "her girls". She views herself as their mother and tries to impart her philosophy of anger and revenge down to them. She was severely abused herself by a military father and has spent her life becoming tougher than him. And she is. I would go nowhere near a ring with that woman. The documentary is at turns funny, revolting, violent, and perplexing. This a glimpse of yet another fascinating aspect of Japanese culture.(a more comprehensive summary.)
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