In Biarritz, the producer/director team of Johnny Brewin and Laura Plancarte presented their project Boom!, the story of Champion fighter G-Air and Sonia, a boxing couple who find solace in Muay Thai. At the heart of the story is a dilemma – what happens when they stop fighting? This layered story explores the balance between parenting, societal expectations and the relentless internal noise that pushes them to their limits.
“The film is set in a multicultural busy neighbourhood of West London,” producer Brewin commented. “It follows the tumultuous lives of French boxing couple George and Sonia. Successful In many respects, they’re not at peace. They’re both haunted by the restlessness of an internal voice that asks a continuous question in one endless loop, are you good enough?”
The project synopsis sets the scene describing how, after being together in London for four years, the couple established their own Muay Thai gym in the London district of Park Royal, while balancing the demands of parenting their son Nolan and advancing their careers as boxers.
As the boy (now two) becomes more independent, they begin to regain their individual identities. His birth brought huge challenges; Sonia paused her career and struggled with post-natal depression while realising, in order to have an identity of her own beyond motherhood, she needed to fight fiercely against societal and family expectations.
In the same period, G-Air faced financial pressures running their gym and realised that fatherhood had deeply impacted him. He became acutely aware of the risks involved in fighting. This new awareness changed his approach, and he began to focus and rely on established technique rather than unleashing the ferocity of his inner ‘demon.’ Sonia is convinced that this change in approach led to the loss of two major fights in the previous year.
From her observations at home and in the boxing ring, director Plancarte picks up on these themes. “Parenthood had changed them enormously. George had got more grounded and cautious. Sonia on the contrary, she became more fierce, more aggressive, and she believes that it’s only taking risks that they can protect themselves and their family, and win.”
Plancarte continues: “I followed Sonja and her family for two and a half years. The film will be a mix of mise-en-scène and verité to enable George and Sonja to be co-writers of their own story. In my experience, this doesn’t jeopardize the authenticity of the film. On the contrary, it makes it stronger. When participants realise that you are not there to get them, but to actually collaborate with them, they want to be who they are, and they want to share.”
As such, we see their every-day lives play out. Plancarte elaborates: “George keeps defending his position of wanting to fight solely with technique and Sonia thinks this will only bring defeat. The tensions between them rise, so they channel that into preparing Sonia for her professional fight, but when Sonia finds she’s pregnant again, they have to cancel it. George feels guilty and more pressure.”
“On the 30th December, just now, they gave birth to their daughter. 2025 is a crucial year for both of them as they are both determined to win their respective fights – George for the world title, and Sonia for her first professional fight. They have set the bar really high because at the same time they’re adapting to a new way of life as a family of four.”
“Will 2025 be the year where we see both of them win their respective fights and still feel that they’re not good enough? Or will one be victorious and the other one lose, which could tear them apart? Or, will they both lose and actually gain a deeper meaning of life?”
Whatever happens, producer Johnny Brewin is assured that his director will handle the subject with great sensitivity.
“Laura’s great skill is her ability to win over all those taking part. She establishes trust and through this she gets to the very heart of the matter. She’s never sensationalist and she reveals truth with love and with respect.”
Brewin also praises Plancarte’s bold cinematic approach, which uses slow-motion sequences with soft lighting for the boxing scenes, “emphasising the tranquillity they find as their minds focus on one thing.” This contrasts sharply with the vivid, intense colours of their everyday lives, captured in handheld footage.
“In addition to an incredibly talented director,” Brewin continues, ‘I’m very fortunate to have the support of Mandy Chang, our executive producer. Together, we are now looking for co-production [partners] to help us through production and post-production. Our total budget is €260,000. We have already raised 20% of this through a local community that really do believe in our project and see themselves reflected in the lives of our heroes.”
