This powerhouse documentary follows 40-year-old Joe Carman, a blue-collar Seattle family man whose life is guided by a single obsession: mixed martial arts. His wife, who’s battling a bone disease, begs him to stop. His four daughters hate to see him beat up in the ring by younger, stronger opponents. His alcoholic bully of a father belittles him. He’s promised over and over to quit, and then, training in secret, gone back to the cage, addicted to the violent confrontations. For fighting provides the only release in a life beset by woes—only in the ring does he feel proud of himself.

Filmmaker Jeff Unay, who filmed over the course of three years, was given access to the most intimate moments in the Carman family drama, and his scenes pack a heavyweight emotional punch. The Cage Fighter is a fascinating, triumphant journey into the psyche of a man willing to risk everything he has for one more fight.

In competition for the Schlesinger Award.