Gaku: One Last Round – Short Film Review. By Joe Muldoon.

2020 was a year of great turmoil for the entire world, with all of us contending with a pandemic and its knock-on effects. And it was an especially terrible year for veteran boxer Gaku Takahashi, who fell victim to a violent racist hate crime on an LA freeway.

Years later, we’re given a brief glimpse into Gaku’s life now, both his physical condition and his unsuccessful attempts to get justice for his attack.

Director Taige Shi first came across the boxer’s story when training at a boxing gym and noticing a GoFundMe poster. And upon making contact with Gaku, Shi decided to create this short, which recently premiered at the LA Asian Pacific Film Festival.

Gaku: One Last Round is as infuriating as it is saddening, and is as much a scathing condemnation of the lacklustre American justice system as it is a peek into Gaku’s current life.

And it’s also a testament to the strength and resilience of one man, even in the face of a deeply unjust system. Despite being utterly failed by the justice system as many fellow immigrants are, he still manages to keep his desire to fight again. Though he laments, “there’s probably no time left for me”, Gaku remains a boxer at heart.

Alas, with him still suffering from chronic pain since the attack and having returned to Japan as a result of athletic visa issues and the lack of effective legal assistance, it begs a bleak question: precisely what must immigrants do to get justice?

By Joe Muldoon

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