The film focuses on the hyper-masculine world of professional boxing and Holocaust survival. No queer narratives or non-cisnormative identities are present in the story.

The narrative follows traditional masculine frameworks typical of the 1930s boxing circuit. Female agency remains secondary to the central male protagonist's physical struggle and athletic ambition.

The film excels by centering a protagonist of Moroccan-Jewish descent. This disrupts Eurocentric views of 1930s France and provides significant agency to a character of color.

The story critiques the collapse of democratic protections and the rise of fascism. It portrays the Nazi regime as an oppressive, corrupt state machinery.

Physical trauma and forced labor in Auschwitz highlight bodily vulnerability. However, these elements serve the historical tragedy rather than providing nuanced agency to characters with disabilities.