In this inspiring drama about how we cope with fear, a successful Latina cage-fighter wants to leave the sport to pursue her dream of becoming a singer, but she finds that getting out is harder than she thought.

SYNOPSIS:

This is a story about fear, and the ways we either cope with it, or fail to cope with it. The central conflict of the story that plays out between the lead character Selena, and her trainer, is based around this question of fear.

Her trainer believes that Selena’s decision is driven by fear, and that the only way of dealing with this fear is by facing up to it.

Selena presents as being un-affected by fear, believing that her decision is driven by her long-held ambition to become a singer.

The two characters battle over who knows Selena’s true motivations best – her trainer because she recognizes the fear that Selena denies, or Selena because she knows herself better than anyone else. In the end it seems possible that both of them were right.

The story opens with the lead character, Selena, losing for the first time in her career. She gets knocked down, and even though she seems to be well-enough to get up, she doesn’t.

Her trainer wonders if she gave up, but she denies it.

Following the fight she contacts a friend and confesses her desire to leave fighting to become what she’s always wanted to be, a singer. Her friend who shares Selena’s interest in music, encourages her. Others are not so supportive.

As her diabetic father struggles with the physical demands of his new job, Selena finds herself pressured by traditional notions of familial responsibility. She’s helped her parents financially in the past when they were struggling, but she didn’t anticipate them becoming dependent upon her.

While attempting to convince Selena to stay with fighting, Selena’s mother demands to know, “who do you think you are, some white-girl princess who gets to do whatever she wants?”

When Selena’s trainer advises her that the idea of chasing your dreams is just another white privilege, she refuses to accept it.

Her trainer is convinced that she’s using her singing ambition to cover up the fact that she’s scared, and that fear is making her want to run away. She denies that she’s driven by fear. She honestly believes that she wants out of fighting because singing is what she’s always wanted to do.

Later she wonders if the stories they tell on T.V. about following your dreams, are maybe not meant for people like her. Unable to resist the pressure on her, she agrees to one more fight.

When her next fight unexpectedly turns out to be a win, Selena finds herself conflicted. A loss would’ve provided her with an easy way out, but the win puts her in the position she’s feared all along – of facing perpetual pressure to do another fight. She envisions herself staying in the game too long, until the repeated punishment from it leaves her a shadow of her present self.

Realizing that it will only become harder to leave as time goes on, Selena resolves to quit, but her plans are upended when her father collapses at work.

She agrees to do the title fight, for the money, promising herself it’ll be the last one.

In the title fight she gets knocked down, and it looks like she won’t be able to get up, but she forces herself to do so, and she finishes the fight.

She ends up losing the fight, but her trainer declares her a winner by virtue of proving that she’s no quitter.

This is a story about fear, and the ways we either cope with it, or fail to cope with it. The central conflict of the story that plays out between the lead character Selena, and her trainer, is based around this question of fear.

Her trainer believes that Selena’s decision is driven by fear, and that the only way of dealing with this fear is by facing up to it.

Selena presents as being un-affected by fear, believing that her decision is driven by her long-held ambition to become a singer.

The two characters battle over who knows Selena’s true motivations best – her trainer because she recognizes the fear that Selena denies, or Selena because she knows herself better than anyone else.

In the end it seems possible that both of them were right.

The ending lends itself to the possibility of at least one sequel, and there’s also the possibility of a prequel.