It feels appropriate to make clear from the get go that I am in no way a wrestling fan. Nor, in fact, am I particularly a Zac Efron fan (sorry Troy). I did not watch this film because I wanted to see lots of scantily clad men beating each other to a pulp. That being said, The Iron Claw (2024) is a truly authentic and emotional complex story about emotional health in men, and the value of brotherhood.
I can see a little irony in writing this on International Women’s Day, but I also think that there is a very important message in there somewhere too. That is something I want to explore here today. There is still a long way to go to reach equality in this world, and I think part of that journey absolutely has to include work towards fostering emotional health in men, and encouraging positive male friendships. The Iron Claw is such a beautifully difficult exploration of male pain that I really think everyone should watch.
You will see from the stills shown here that this film is utterly beautiful. It has an aesthetic that suits its topic perfectly with its contrasts of dark and light, and the warmth of tone throughout. In a nutshell, The Iron Claw tells the story of a group of brothers who wrestle. With a father who is determined to live vicariously through the success of his sons, the boys are all pushed to their limits to try and achieve accolades which their father was never able to in his time as a wrestler.
Obviously, there is a fair bit of wrestling in this film, and I applaud the way its marketing sold us a glitzy wrestling movie only for us to come out of the cinema sobbing at what was really a heartfelt exploration of male pain that happened to be sitting in the wrestling world. I really want to applaud the actors here too. Zac Efron really has shed his typecasting and is beautifully supported by the likes of Jeremy Allen White and others too. Even Lily James (basically the only woman in the film) does a brilliant job as a deliberate auxiliary to the story of these brothers.
People might say this film was made ‘for the boys’ and in a lot of ways I think it is. There will be parts of this film that every man can relate to, whether that’s the pressure to be big and strong or the expectation that boys never cry, even at a funeral. There are so many lessons in this film about how learning to communication with other men in a genuine, non-competitive way, how actually talking about the pressures of toxic masculinity and how they manifest, can quite literally save lives.
This is a film for the boys, and I really hope that if you are a man you will take the time to go and see it. But I also think it’s a film for women too. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t expect women to bear the brunt of it. I don’t expect women to become the mother-figure to our partners or the therapist to our friends. I do believe that it is the responsibility of men to try and foster these conversations and friendships themselves.
However, I do also believe (with my whole chest) that it is vital that women are involved, not only for ourselves but also for the betterment of the experiences of the men in our lives that we love. Fostering emotional health is key to men’s health and wellbeing, but it is also collaterally key to women’s health and wellbeing too. We all know women deserve better, but I think men deserve better too.
The women in The Iron Claw are also quite obviously victims of the microcosm of patriarchy that is shown in the Von Erich family. But this film is a truly heartbreaking depiction of the very real damage that men can face when they are not able to break down patriarchal pressures for themselves and those around them. You can see so much joy as these brothers enjoy each other's company and companionship, as they play ball games together and joke around in a way that only siblings can. These moments of joy make it so much harder when it all comes crashing down.
Watching this story unfold as a woman, I did not at any point feel like the conversation was being 'taken away' from the oppression of women, but I did feel like the conversation was being broadened in a way that invited me to observe. The Iron Claw is an invitation to observe pain and a delicate lesson on why it is vital to open the conversation of patriarchal oppression to everyone who falls victim to it (which, plot twist, is everyone).
The Von Erich brothers have an incredible bond between them because of the force of their father. And yet that seemingly unbreakable bond is broken time and time again not by the brothers themselves, but by competitiveness, by lack of conversation, lack of emotional expression between them. Lives could have been saved if people listened when Kevin asked for help out of concern for his brother Kerry.
Lives could have been saved if somebody sincerely told the youngest brother that his worth does not come from wrestling when he wants to be a musician. Lives could have been saved if Mike was told that he was enough without physique enhancing drugs and that strength is not everything it means to be a man.
The ‘iron claw’ of this film is not the father’s signature wrestling move, nor his tight grip on his children, but the oppressive nature of societal patriarchy which thrived at the time and unfortunately still thrives today. The curse on this group of brothers is not the Von Erich family name, it is the painful system of patriarchy under which they live and, because of which, many of them die. You'll notice I have not gone into details on plot here, and that's because I want you to go and see this film without too much context. The film is a difficult watch but also a beautiful one and I would absolutely encourage you to watch.
Until next time,
Alice
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