Who is Chris Von Erich, the absent sixth brother of Iron Claw?

“It was one more tragedy that the film could not tolerate,” explains Sean Durkin.

Warning, this article contains spoilers.

Iron Claw has been in French cinemas for a week. Directed by Sean Durkinthe film tells the true story of the Von Erich siblings, who experienced a meteoric rise in the world of professional wrestling in the 1980s. Trained by an authoritarian father who was himself a former wrestler, the Von Erich brothers underwent a succession of tragedies such that the filmmaker had to avoid one in the first version of the script, so as not to make the film too harsh.

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The film is told from the point of view of the eldest, Kevin (Zac Efron), who helplessly witnesses the brutal death of his three other brothers David (Harris Dickinson), died at age 25 of gastrointestinal perforation while Kerry (Jeremy Allen White) and Mike (Stanley Simons) both committed suicide. We also learn that a son who preceded Kevin, Jack, died accidentally at the age of six. All these tragic destinies are narrated in the film.

Nevertheless, Sean Durkin ignored the equally unfortunate story of the youngest Von Erich, Chris. He tried to take up the torch from his brothers and his father in the ring but was fighting against a poor physical condition which made him more fragile. He also committed suicide at the age of 21. Out of six sons, Kevin Von Erich is the only one still alive and to have survived the “Curse of the Von Erichs”.

Sean Durkin expressed himself in Los Angeles Times on this narrative choice: “There was a form of repetition, and it was one more tragedy that the film could not tolerate”, he declares. We understand that with or without this additional drama, this story is beyond comprehension, and remains difficult for the viewer to stomach. “Honestly, I don’t know if it could have been done”, explains the filmmaker, even if he specifies that “Chris was in the storyline for five years.”

The director actually waited until he had completely finished writing the script before contacting the real Kevin Von Erich: “When you’re trying to make a film, you have to take stock at some point and say, ‘These are characters on a page, and this is a movie, and there’s no way to fully capture a person’s life in a movie‘. You have to make difficult choices to try to arrive at something truthful, representative or emotional that reflects the heart of the story you choose to tell within this family.”

Iron Claw has been in theaters since January 24.