BBC Documentaries

Hell on Wheels (2019x170)

Date de diffusion: Août 07, 2019

This film gives the term ‘blood, sweat, and tears’ a whole new meaning as it charts the lives and loves of Wales’ first and best roller derby team, the Tiger Bay Brawlers. This observational documentary follows them through the biggest moment of their sporting lives: the European Continental Championships. Roller derby is one of the fastest growing sports in Europe. To the uninitiated, it looks like hell on wheels - a violent spinning vortex of tattooed women on roller skates, crashing into each other at high speed. But, to its devotees, roller derby is not just a sport. It quickly becomes life. For some, it’s also a brutal escape from everyday struggles, for others it’s been a salvation. Along the way, the film explores what has made roller derby a cultural phenomenon and a safe place for women of all shapes, sizes and gender orientations to express themselves physically – and sometimes violently – while creating a strong community spirit like they’ve never encountered elsewhere in their lives.