Every boxing film has its gym, its tough-love trainer and its first fight. What makes In the Shadows different is that its heroine has to keep all of it secret. Ramla Ali, a refugee from Somalia’s civil war raised in London, tells her strict Muslim family she is working late at the law firm. In fact, she is learning to fight.
Ali went on to become the first boxer to represent Somalia at the Olympics, and her story is told here by documentary director Anthony Wonke, in his first drama, from a script by playwright Ursula Rani Sarma. It is not a film that reinvents the sports biopic, but it has a real story to tell and a lead who tells it beautifully.
In the Shadows knows every move in the boxing-film playbook, but Jasmine Jobson makes them land.
Movie at a Glance
- UK release: In UK and Irish cinemas from Friday 30 October 2026, with special Q&A screenings
- US release: No US date confirmed yet
- UK distribution: Released by the producers through Metis Films
- Director: Anthony Wonke
- Writer: Ursula Rani Sarma
- Starring: Jasmine Jobson, Finn Cole, Gershwyn Eustache Jnr, Hodan Yusuf and Suhayla Ahmed
- Runtime: 117 minutes
- Certificate: 15 (UK)
- Genre: Sports biopic
Viewer Match
- Best for: Fans of Million Dollar Baby, Creed and real-life underdog stories, and anyone who loved Jobson in Top Boy.
- Maybe skip if: You want spectacular, blow-by-blow big fights; this is more about the journey than the bouts.
- Mood and pace: Warm, steady and quietly stirring, with flashes of real pain.
- Cinema or streaming? Catch one of the Q&A screenings if you can; it is a film that plays best with an audience.
- Spoiler level: Spoiler-free: we only cover what is already public about Ramla Ali’s life.
Fighting Two Battles
The film moves between Ramla’s childhood in war-torn Somalia, where a family tragedy leaves a wound she will carry for years, and her life in London, first as a lively teenager (Suhayla Ahmed) and then as a young woman (Jasmine Jobson) balancing a respectable career with a secret passion. Her support comes from her younger brother, a bullish trainer called Clinton (Gershwyn Eustache Jnr) and Richard (Finn Cole), a gym regular who becomes her closest ally and, later, her husband.
The family conflict is where the film is strongest. Hodan Yusuf is excellent as Ramla’s overprotective but loving mother, and a long, painful sequence in which the truth finally comes out is the emotional peak of the film.
Jasmine Jobson Goes the Distance
Jobson, from Top Boy, MobLand and Andrea Arnold’s Bird, is superb: forceful in the ring, thoughtful out of it, and completely convincing as both a fighter and a young professional with a lot on her mind. Cole has less to work with in a nice-guy role, but the warmth between them gives the film a steady heartbeat. Eustache Jnr brings a genuine sense of threat as Clinton’s support turns possessive and controlling.
A Familiar Fight Card
Wonke brings a documentary-maker’s eye for detail to the gym scenes and to the Somali community, including a joyful wedding sequence. Where the film falls short is in surprise. The structure is the classic one, the characters around Ramla are thinly sketched and the boxing itself is mostly kept to training bouts. Some of the music choices are also oddly insistent. But the story is inspiring, the culture is specific and real, and you will leave the cinema cheering.
A Release Fought for in the Real World
Getting In the Shadows into cinemas was a fight in itself: when its planned distributor collapsed, the producers and backers stepped in to release it themselves, with special Q&A screenings planned. Jobson fans can read our MobLand Season 2 preview, and for another moving British film about families and belonging, try our All Rivers Spill Their Stories to the Sea Super Review.
Spoiler-Free Verdict
In the Shadows is a conventional but heartfelt boxing biopic, lifted by a commanding Jasmine Jobson and a story with genuine cultural weight. It pulls a few punches, but lands enough to send you out inspired.
- Performances: 8/10
- Direction: 7/10
- Screenplay: 6/10
- Score: 6/10
- Cinematography: 7/10
- Entertainment Value: 7.5/10
- Overall score: 7/10
Star rating: 3.5/5
Verdict badge: One for Fans
One-line verdict: A crowd-pleasing true story and a championship performance from Jasmine Jobson.
Watch the Official Trailer
Watch the official trailer for Ramla Ali’s story.
Which true sports story deserves its own film next? Share your spoiler-free suggestions.