The biographical success story of boxer Ramla Ali receives a confident cinematic treatment in In the Shadows, written by screenwriter Ursula Rani Sarma and directed by documentary filmmaker Anthony Wonke in his feature debut. The picture follows Ali, the British-Somali athlete who fled the Somali civil war as a refugee and ultimately made history in 2021 as the first person to compete in boxing for Somalia at the Olympic Games. Interestingly, the symbolic connection of her surname is omitted throughout the narrative until a fight-card intertitle appears ahead of her first competitive match.
Jasmine Jobson delivers a fierce leading performance as Ali, while Finn Cole portrays her supportive husband Richard, a white Muslim convert who plays a vital role in helping her navigate away from her unyielding family. Gershwyn Eustache Jr. rounds out key figures as Clinton, her demanding and abusive trainer. The movie moves fluidly through expected genre milestones, capturing the anxious first steps into the gym, the authoritative coach, and the breathless tension of a debut bout, complete with traditional cinematic details like post-fight sore hands resting in ice.
For seasoned fans of sports dramas, the narrative might invite questions about when the protagonist will face the quintessential cinematic trial of outright defeat. While Ramla does experience a dangerous concussion during a sparring session, it occurs primarily because her controlling trainer maliciously places her against an opponent from a heavier weight class.
What sets this production apart from standard sports films is the heavy burden of secrecy under which young Ramla must operate. Coming from a traditional Muslim household where such pursuits are strictly forbidden for daughters, she maintains a day job at a legal firm and trains in secret, lying to her mother about working late. This dynamic introduces a layer of deception and high familial stakes absent in many conventional women's boxing narratives, reflecting the unique cultural hurdles Ali had to overcome.
While the picture adheres to familiar structural formulas, it is anchored by a compelling narrative and a strong lead performance from Jobson. Interspersed flashbacks hint at the profound childhood trauma and family heartbreak endured in Somalia, transforming those early tragedies into an unrelenting drive to fight her way forward in the ring.