“I Was Loved For A Minute”

‘I, Tonya’ Film Review From A Psychosocial Perspective (Contains spoilers)

Directed by Craig Gillespie and based on a true-life story, the dark comedy ‘I, Tonya’, which attracts attention with Margot Robbie’s wonderful performance, contains intense psychological and social elements. From childhood abuse and trauma to a lifelong struggle and the challenges of gender roles, Tonya fights for her existence with figure skating, the only thing she truly loves to do.

Screenshot from the film I, Tonya (2017), directed by Craig Gillespie

This dark comedy film begins by focusing on Tonya’s early childhood and how she first started skating. Many of the fast-paced scenes contain intense displays of violence, aiming to escalate the viewer’s tension. Exposed to all kinds of violence and neglect from an early age, Tonya’s personality is shaped by her harsh and success-oriented mother and her father, who abandoned her after being with her only for the first years of her life. As the movie progresses, we never see the father figure again, but it is conceivable that the lack of a father figure in Tonya’s highly conflicted marriage may have had an impact. However, we see her mother as the dominant and hurtful figure. But what exactly causes Tonya to be psychologically unwell?

We witness Tonya being subjected to intense psychological and physical violence throughout her life. Still, while we, as the audience, are intensely affected while watching all this abuse, Tonya perceives this abuse as normality and even seeks love and approval within this cycle of violence. Intense histories of childhood violence cause many adaptation problems, psychological and physiological disorders, behavioral issues, relationship problems, and trust issues in adulthood. These issues negatively affect an individual’s psychological well-being.

Screenshot from the film I, Tonya (2017), directed by Craig Gillespie

Humans are bio-psycho-psycho-social beings who are always in need of social support, and not receiving this support when going through a stressful and hurtful process affects mental health even more deeply. We see this fact in Tonya’s life story during the movie. Even when she steps into adulthood, we do not see anyone with whom she can establish a relationship of trust, who can support her in this intense cycle of violence and loneliness. However, we are witnessing the story of a woman who is focused only on her success and believes that she can only exist in this way.

As the movie comes towards the end, we see Tonya preparing for the figure skating championships with great ambition. During this process, her husband, who feels jealous of Tonya’s fame, and her friend Shawn, who also wants to feel important in his life, plan to take down Tonya’s most important rival with an attack that will get out of control. Tonya, who has no responsibility in this attack but chooses to remain silent for a while when she learns about it, is heavily punished for this behavior; she is fined and banned from the sport, unable to skate again. “I have no education; all I know is skating. That’s all I know. I’m no one if I can’t.” In this scene, we see Tonya’s disappointment as her identity is tied to figure skating, and her faith in justice is shaken. Considering that this incident received widespread attention, with the press covering it extensively and discussing it on many TV programs, it is not difficult to imagine how destructive the process was for Tonya.

Screenshot from the film I, Tonya (2017), directed by Craig Gillespie

The movie ends with a scene in which Tonya declares herself a lady boxer. She cites the fact that violence has always been a part of her life and that she will be in the spotlight again. Personally, I found the most striking scenes in the movie to be those where I could delve deeper into Tonya’s character. One such scene is when she talks to her mother, whom she wanted to be with her during the world championship process. When she receives a negative response, she says, “You cursed me.” Another scene is during the interview when she says, “I thought being famous was going to be fun. I was loved for a minute. Then, I was hated.” These scenes show how Tonya’s relationship with her mother plays a huge role in her life. They reveal her desperation, the struggles she faces, and her lifelong search for love and support.

Ultimately, I, Tonya is more than just a biographical film or a dark comedy. It is a raw and disturbing portrayal of how childhood trauma, a lack of support, and ineffective social mechanisms can shape and nearly destroy a person’s life. Although this film contains many more psychosocial elements, it illustrates that love, care, and a secure relationship with a caregiver are among the most fundamental human needs and how these aspects impact a person throughout their life.