"lunatic: thE lunA vachon stoRy" CAPSULE REVIEW

By Nadia Dalimonte

Luna Vachon in Lunatic: The Luna Vachon Story (2025)

Closing out this year’s Canadian Film Fest (CFF), Lunatic: The Luna Vachon Story steps into the ring of pro-wrestler Luna “The Lunatic” as she wrestles between personal and professional demons. The documentary paints a troubling portrait of an intimidating stage persona of the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), particularly when so few women were embraced or taken seriously in the sport. From hyper-sexualization and stereotypical expectations to sexual assault and gender inequity, the documentary explores a challenging landscape through which Luna navigated. Directed, written, and produced by pro-wrestler Kate Kroll, Lunatic delves less into wrestling narratives and more into observations on Luna’s identity and how she was perceived by her surroundings, whether family and friends or former colleagues and fellow female wrestlers. Kroll attempts to infuse in-depth perspective with a mix of archival footage and floating head interviews, however, the material feels redundant and the focus is scattered. Additionally, repetitive storytelling techniques and shaky editing rob the documentary of its potential emotionality and staying power. Despite such shortcomings, Lunatic raises some intrigue about Luna Vachon’s uniquely carved legacy. 

Lunatic: The Luna Vachon Story premieres on Saturday, March 29 at 9:00 pm and will be preceded by Michelle D’Alessandro Hatt’s short film Brave Rebel Army.

Canadian Film Festival (CFF) runs from March 24-29, 2025 at Cineplex’s Scotiabank Theatre in Toronto.