The Smashing Machine, directed by Benny Safdie, stars Dwayne Johnson as Mark Kerr, a mixed martial artist who fights addiction. Emily Blunt plays his girlfriend, Dawn Staples. Their codependent relationship deteriorates as Kerr’s addiction worsens.

Johnson’s role forces the actor into new territory: portraying the depths of Kerr’s personality requires more sensitivity than Johnson’s usual task of maintaining heroic immutability for roles such as Luke Hobbs in the Fast & Furious franchise. The Safdie brothers have a history of indie-fying mainstream actors (Robert Pattinson in Good Time and Adam Sandler in Uncut Gems), allowing for significant rebranding. 

Johnson told Vanity Fair:

You have to be willing to tap into all the stuff that you’ve gone through, and this was stuff that I had not explored on camera or otherwise. I’m not a big therapy person, even though I’m an advocate for whatever it is you need. I found it so scary, but also, so nourishing and freeing. I ripped it open.

This is Safdie’s first time directing on his own (he amicably split from brother Josh Safdie after Uncut Gems). Kerr’s surprising nature in the documentary The Smashing Machine: The Life and Times of Extreme Fighter Mark Kerr made an impression on Safdie. Safdie likens Kerr to George Bailey of It’s a Wonderful Life.

Safdie told Empire:

As soon as I saw it, I completely connected with Mark. There was something about him. He’s so soft spoken, so gentle, and the way he used words was really beautiful — it was such a contradiction to the stereotype.

The Smashing Machine will premiere at the Venice Film Festival on September 1st. It will reach U.S. theaters on October 3rd.