Fresh, original addition to the now standard concept film about a group of ordinary folks who band together and find strength in numbers, or in this case, body weight. In the tradition of Brassed Off and The Full Monty, a group of Yorkshire women form an unlikely secret society devoted to the discipline of sumo wrestling. Employees in a vegetable cannery, they work for the group's leader and cannery owner, Marlene, who has an interest in all things Japanese. Job applicants with heft get hiring preference at the cannery and recruits to the society are gathered from their ranks. Daisy certainly qualifies on that score. With a lovely face and very ample curves, she is adored by her amateur photographer husband Ken, whose favorite subject for his soft-core porn postcard business is Daisy. When Ken loses his regular income, Daisy takes a job at the cannery.

Ken also has an interest in extra-terrestrials and meets with a quirky local group to share UFO info. Essentially a tale about acceptance and love, the framework is the young marriage of Daisy and Ken. They never waver in their commitment to one another, but seen through the prism of the larger world, no pun intended, it's a bit puzzling for them at times. Wisely, filmmaker Imogen Kimmel has her characters say very little about large women; she lets the audience bring their own bias to the table. The strength of the charming story is that fatness is not the issue. In fact, it is barely mentioned. These women are self-assured, gracious, loyal, pretty, strong and they know it. Their only hesitation is that going public may destroy a good thing that is working well for them.

A rookie at the cannery, Daisy gets put through the paces, is soon fed up, and gives her notice when Marlene asks her to join the group. As she spends more time "working" late, Ken's concern turns to suspicion. Aided by his use of alcohol and a toke or two too many, along with his fondness for sci-fi films about aliens taking over the earth, his imagination gets the better of him. Sworn to secrecy, Daisy can't tell Ken what she's been doing after hours and coming home late. The requirement for secrecy provides a neat catalyst for Daisy and Ken to discover each other on a more intimate level while furnishing the story with tension that culminates in a wrestling match with a real life Japanese men's team. Meanwhile, Daisy has bowed out of posing for Ken's soft-core porn post cards and is rapidly gaining command of her new sport. As she does, her need to be valued, not for her breasts or her boldness at wrestling, but simply for being Daisy intensifies.

The visual style sharply contrasts scenes of interiors at Daisy and Ken's small apartment or the video store with their cramped spaces and the wide idyllic Yorkshire countryside, where the women go to practice their art in peace and tranquillity. The camera almost caresses the women as they exercise in traditional Japanese costume or dressed up in fine feathers for a night on the town at a posh club devoted exclusively to large women. They are not only determined and disciplined; they are gorgeous, loyal, and fun. Fine performances from all, with newcomer Charlotte Brittain as Daisy stealing the show with her honest, subtle portrayal.

Charlotte Brittain: Daisy	Lee Ross: Ken
Directed by: Imogen Kimmel