This real scandal which shook the world of figure skating is at the heart of the film

Released in 2017, Me, Tonya is a biopic American drama directed by Craig Gillespie and starring Margot Robbie and Sebastian Stan. It portrays the complex personality of figure skater Tonya Harding to tell, in the form of a mockumentary, a scandal that shook the world of American figure skating in the 1990s: the Harding-Kerrigan affair.

This one shook the sports world in 1994, just six weeks before the Winter Olympics. The day before the American championships qualifying for the Olympic events, skater Nancy Kerrigan (played by Caitlin Carver in the film) was attacked and injured in the knee with an iron bar. The elements of the investigation reveal that the entourage of Tony Harding, Kerrigan’s rival, and more specifically her husband and her agent, were involved.

Less injured than initially thought, Nancy Kerrigan eventually won the silver medal at the Winter Olympics, while Tonya Harding, who was given a second chance, finished eighth. Harding later said she did not learn of her family’s involvement in her rival’s attack until a month after the attack, but only alerted the police when she became concerned about the risks of false testimony. The case led to Harding being banned from the U.S. Skating Federation. After pleading guilty to perjury, she was sentenced to a $110,000 fine and 500 hours of community service.

Following this affair, Tonya Harding turned to boxing, and reportedly worked as a welder and saleswoman in a department store, according to a profile in the New York Times. Nancy Kerrigan, for her part, made appearances in the film. The kings of skating in 2007, and in the 2017 season of Dance with the stars American.

Synopsis – “I, Tonya” is an American film about the life of the famous and controversial American figure skater of the 1980s-1990s, Tonya Harding. The story notably relates the 1994 scandal where she is accused of having stabbed Nancy Kerrigan, her rival. The athlete was arrested and her competitor was nevertheless able to participate in the Olympic Games where she won a silver medal. Her family was also involved in this news item that this biopic recounts.

The film is directed by Craig Gillepsie, who previously directed “The Finest Hours.” The screenplay is written by Steven Rogers (“Step Father”). The cast includes Margot Robbie, aka Harley Quinn in “Suicide Squad“, Sebastian Stan (“Captain America: Civil War”), Allison Janney (the “Mom” series) and Bobby Cannavale (“Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle”).