ABSOLUTE 𝖣̶𝖮̶𝖬̶𝖨̶𝖭̶OPINION (2025) - Lexi Alexander and Her New Masculinity

The German-Palestinian-American director makes her first feature in 12 years, paired with a German-American Hybrid wine for our times.

ABSOLUTE DOMINION is director Lexi Alexander’s first feature film in almost 12 years.

A life-long martial artist and stuntwoman, she originally hit the scene with the short film JOHNNY FLYNTON which was nominated for an Acedmy Award in 2003 - not bad for a first timer! She was then scooped up by Annapurna to make GREEN STREET HOOLIGANS (starring Charlie Hunnam and Elijah Wood and bizarrely only available on YouTube for free) about an American man slowly sliding into the worst aspects of soccer Hooligan culture. It was released wide in the UK but only limited theatrical in the US.

This was followed by PUNISHER: WAR ZONE, the first Marvel movie to be directed by a woman. The budget was slashed right before production (this will become a theme as we go) and the film was bizarrely released in December; it bombed at the box office though has since become a clut classic among Marvel and action fans (myself included.)

In both films, Alexander explores the toxic qualities of violence, especially as it releates to modern visions of masculinity - be it the inciting, never-back-down recklessness of male youth and pack culture; or the vigilante mindset of a self-made paternalistic warrior, setting right the wrongs of the world with his guns and his bombs (in his head, in his head, RIP Dolores O’Riordan.)

As is only proper, being a woman with a sinlge box office dud, Lexi was immediately banished to “director’s jail”. She found a second career in television, directing episodes for ARROW, SUPERGIRL, TAKEN, LIMITLESS, and more. Until at long last she was able to set up a 3-picture feature deal with Blumhouse and Netflix: $150M for a 3-picture martial arts dystopian sci-fi epic.

She pumped out the screenplay, only to be told “Actually, we don’t want all 3 movies anywmore, maybe just the one.” Okay, then. Let’s start with just the one. But then: “Actually, we don’t even want the one.” At which point, according to Lexi, she “begged” for the one movie. They countered with “Well, can you make it for under $10M?” And she said yes; even though no, she really couldn’t.

Still, she did her best: filming for just under $13M¹, it was shot in 2022, before being unceremoniously dropped by both Netflix and Blumhouse. Giant Pictures picked the finished picture up for digital distribution and the film dropped on VOD in May 2025.

ABSOLUTE DOMINON chronicles a near-future where the world is torn apart by animosities (wait, I though you said this was the future?) An online influencer suggests - as a somewhat joke - that all the religions of the world should just agree to a global tournament and fight it out. The winner then determines which religion the whole world will follow.

Wildly, the whole world agrees.

The biggest religions of the world are all in an upper teir of fighters, but below them, are the “Wildcards”, a low-level preliminary torunament that decides who will advance to the main tournament with the upper tier fighters. Into this steps Sagan (points for guessing who he’s named after), played by German-African model Désiré Mia, a fighter representing “humanism and science”.

Ostensibly a tournnament film, with multiple one-on-one fights, Désiré Mia displays a unique choreography that I’d never seen before: he blocks with the smallest movement of his shoulders, then grapples as though boneless, bending in ways only small children can usually do. It’s not always particularly cinematic, but it’s nevertheless mesmerizing to watch.

Director Alexander, who has practiced martial arts her whole life, said the best one she ever practiced was a Russian martial arts called “Systema”.

“You almost look silly. Like Octopus jelly doing crazy things,” she said in an interview. “And at some point I looked at it on the camera and had to say ‘Yeah, I can’t keep that, at some point I have to make it somewhat cinematic.’ It’s not elegant, not Van Damme. But it’s the one that works the best.”

I’ve seen numerous action fans shit-talking the fights in this film, but honestly I was in love. It’s weird and demands your attention, to track what’s happening and why. It’s an almost non-violent version of violence: anti-flash, anti-ego, just securing your enemy with as little harm done as possible, to either combatant.

As the film progressed, I realized another fascinating storytelling decision: all the combatants were men, but they are each protected by a military-trained bodyguard, and these were all women, to a “man”. In fact, every bodyguard, military commander, mercenary, sniper, or other authorized fighter outside of the tournament were women and led by other women. (With men occassionally filling in positions as administrative toadies.)

These female characters - notably those played by Andy Allo, Olunike Adeliyi, Julie Ann Emery, Lola Paja, and Kuoth Wiel were all competent, calculating believers in violence. both that it will be practiced on them and their male charges, as well as that it was the best way to repsond to end any specific threat.

On the fliipside of this, Sagan is presented as a genetic product of science, largely non-violent, “fighting” in as pacifist a way as possible, and slowly inspiring the other male fighters to act with a comparable dignity, empathy, mercy, and unity. The women are preparing for the worst while a new masculinity takes center stage: not a sexless, “brotherhood”-oriented chauvinism a la Hong Kong Heroic Bloodshed classics, but rather a naturally tougher femininity and a softer masculinity combine into a future that still functions, where intersex romance still blossoms, where non-binary Alok Vaid-Menon plays a character of seemingly pure self-interest who is neither a villain nor ally, but something in-between.

This is a fascinating new vision of gender roles and how we often believe they must fit together, all wrapped in a giant metaphor for how divided the world currently is (note that all the religions in the film are fictitiously named to avoid smearing any real world organization with any specific motivation, triumph or loss, inside a fictional movie.) The film plainly believes in freedom of religious practices but coupled with a firm separation of Church and State - the “humanism and sciene” group, should they win, state that they will allow any and all personal worship, but will strip all religions from govermental decisions and laws.

That said, one of the most controversial storytelling decisions within the film is a subplot wherein our hero Sagan suffers some form of epilleptic “episodes”, where he freezes, goes physically catatonic, and “hears voices”. In one scene, he confides in his mentor played by the great Alex Winter (who is also a credited producer on the film) that the voice “sounds like the voice of God”.

Say what?

Every room in the torunament is monitored, and the revelation soon leaks to the public: the “science” champion thinks he might be hearing the voice of capital-G God.

There are innumerable ways to read how this subplot plays out to the end, and many have criticised the idea as mudddying what should be cleanly defined, moral and ethical lines within the narrative. But here’s the thing kids: politics is messy. Even if the lines are clear, how you convince people to follow you, trust you, vote for you, to not assassinate you, this all requires a much firmer understanding of human nature.

Did Sagan know his suggestion would be leaked? After the public discovers his ailment, the religious communities are instantly less threatened: maybe this science kid will be okay, if he is or thinks he is hearing the voice of one of our Gods. Suddenly other fighters can’t help but become deferential to him, when before he was dismissed. His anti-violence form of combat is reconsidered under this new lens. The world wants to see how his journey develops. All because of a passing mention, but one that changes everything for most people.

ABSOLUTE DOMINION is a tournament movie, but it’s not really about the fighting.² It’s an exploration in how religiious systems can co-exist but only if they cease demanding absolute dominion. It’s an exploration in how masculinity can be defined by offering empathy with historically textbook male confidence. Femininity can offer militant protection with women’s textbook 360-awareness of any situation and giving a shit. The best fighters can be the least aggressive, and the best leaders are laser focused on others, not themselves.

A pipe dream? Maybe. But we can momentarily experience such a dream while enjoying some truly unique action choreography to boot.

A German-American Hybrid Wine for a German-American Hybrid Movie

History lesson!

Most wine in the world is made from a specific species of grape vine: the European Vitis vinifera. As colonists, they spread their vines all over the world, though thanks to certain disease, pest, and climate change threats, experimentation with other species of vines - most notably Vitis labrusca from America - have long been underway.

The most common is creating a “hybrid” grape - a “crossing” of Vitis vinifera with a Vitis labrusca. These are more common today than you think, though tend to be found in lesser established wine regions such as Michigan, New York, Virginia, Canada, and China.

One of my favorites, is a grape called "Traminette”, a crossing of German “Gewurtztraminer” and “Joannes Seyve 23.416” (sexy, no?) Tramiette is an aromatic white grape often found in Michigan, New York, Canada, and, believe it or not, Indiana. It makes for light-bodied, high-acid, gently fruity wines, but with strong aromas of peach, lychee, yellow flowers, citrus, and mixed herbs/spices.

Like the main character Sagan, it’s light on its feet, sprightly, means you no harm, but will capture your attention on first sip. It can be made dry, off-dry, semi-sweet, and into dessert wines and express itself beautifully in all styles, no matter the challenger / taster.

It’s German-American heritage matches that of its director and as a hybrid grape, it represents the way of the future for wine, beyond the domination of Vitis vinifera where it isn’t even indigenous, and a whole world of fine wine made from grapes suitable for extreme weather, disease-resistant, and still full of delicious flavor.

One of my fave Traminettes is from Makinaw Trail Winery in Michigan. If you can get this one shipped to you, you absolutely should.

You can even buy your own Traminette Grape Vine to grow at home!!! Because truly why the fuck not?

SHOP FOR TRAMINETTE NEAR YOU

1. With the low budget (this was stil a union production, so that’s a pretty low budget - a Blumhouse executive recently revealed that it’s pretty much impossible to make a union film for less than $8M anymore these days) it shold be noted that the costuming and set design is ofte lacking. The film can look like a TV pilot, with weirdly bare sets, but this also kind of works with the future borderline-apocalyptic setting.

2. One of my favorite points Lexi made about martial arts movies in a recent interview: “...we can make a boxing movie and have it simply be about some guy who wants to win a boxing match. But make a martial arts movie and suddenly there has to be a plot, someone’s brother has to be kidnapped and now they’re forced to fight and blah blah blah.”