First Match

First Match is currently streaming in Australia on Netflix, and in the US on Netflix, and it rewards the patience it asks of you. It knows exactly what kind of film it is from the opening scene, and never loses that thread. Its 6/10 TMDB score, built from 148 ratings, reflects a title that consistently delivers. Elvire Emanuelle sets the tone, and the rest of the cast matches it scene for scene. Available now on Netflix — press play and find out why people keep recommending it.

Part of the current wave of titles people are actually watching, First Match earns its spot. First Match takes its time building the world its characters inhabit, and the patience pays off. Hardened by years in foster care, a teenage girl from Brooklyn’s Brownsville neighborhood decides that wrestling boys is the only way back to her estranged father. Elvire Emanuelle and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II lead a cast doing genuinely serious work here. It was released in 2018. First Match resists tidy resolutions in a way that respects how messy real consequences actually are. It knows exactly what it is, and does not try to be anything else.

Viewers drawn to character-driven storytelling will find plenty to sit with in First Match. It rewards viewers regardless of what else is in their watch history. A contained runtime means every scene is doing real work. Elvire Emanuelle carries the material with a performance that rewards close attention. Worth starting sooner rather than later.

First Match was released in 2018, directed by Olivia Newman. The full 94-minute film is available to watch now. Find exactly where it's streaming below, and TV Butler Pro makes it effortless to track your progress as you go. Just search the name, and Butler finds it instantly, tells you which service has it, and remembers exactly where you left off.