Review: Leave It on the Track

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Dirty Blonde and Dee Toxin in Leave It on the Track

Leave It on the Track, premiering this week at the Edinburgh International Film Festival, is a sort of ode to the women of roller derby. The documentary, from local actor/director Benjamin Pascoe, depicts the Fall 2009 championship bout between the Hellcats and the Cherry Bombs, teams in the banked-track TXRD Lonestar Rollergirls league in Austin.

For newbies to the sport, the film includes explanations of how roller derby is played and how it was revived in Austin and has since spread through the nation (and the world). I haven't yet attended any games (I know, I know), so it was nice to have a refresher on the rules of the game. Cherry Chainsaw (Olivia Vernon) leads the Cherry Bombs, a team that's a recent addition to the league. Chainsaw is harsh and fearless -- okay, most of these ladies are, but we are told by players, and shown clips exhibiting, that she is one of the fiercest. The Hellcats have been in the league from the formation of the TXRD and are managed by Jonny Stranger (a local filmmaker who also serves as one of the producers for the film).

The teams are vying for the Calvello cup, named after Ann Calvello, a tough broad and one of the early legends in roller derby. The women on these teams are strongly dedicated to this sport, which takes so much out of them and doesn't give much in way of financial benefit. Some of the league members have little or no health insurance. One player sustained an injury so bad that folks expected her to leave the game, but she was back on the track as soon as she could be. It's all about the love for the sport, as well as the connection with their team mates.

The title of the movie, Leave It on the Track, refers to the rivalry between the teams. You believe that they sincerely dislike each other as they go up against each other, but the players state that this rivalry and enmity is left on the track. Off the track, they support and appreciate one another.

Pascoe keeps the film hopping throughout. For a large part of the documentary, long clips of the final bout are intermingled with the stories about the players involved and their lives off-track. Their style on the track is dissected by members of other teams. A couple of the players talk about their participation in Drew Barrymore's Whip It.

So many players are introduced to the viewer that it's difficult to keep track of all their aliases. I wish there had been a little more insight into the use of punny names in roller derby ... perhaps that's fodder for another movie. Leave It on the Track tends to be a tad heavy on musical montages in the last half of the film, but an unexpectedly intense moment of the final half of the game (I won't spoil it!) had me on the edge of my seat.

Fun is the main word I'd use to describe Leave It on the Track. The players are crass and their natural humor kept me giggling. I was also impressed by these women. They are hardcore!

Austin connections: Leave It on the Track was shot in Austin with a primarily local cast and crew and is about roller derby -- how much more local can you get?

[Still via the Leave It on the Track Facebook page]