Drea Cooper

Drea Cooper’s filmography is a quirky little bag of surprises, if you ask me. T-Rex (2015) isn’t about dinosaurs at all—no Jurassic Park vibes here. It’s actually this punchy, raw documentary following Claressa “T-Rex” Shields, a teen boxer from Flint, Michigan, who’s got more drive than most people twice her age. Watching her hustle for Olympic gold, you see her deal with family drama, money problems, and the whole mess of trying to get respect in a sport that’s not exactly rolling out the red carpet for women. It’s gritty, hopeful, and honestly, kind of addictive to watch how stubborn she is about chasing her dream. Then there’s Aquadettes (2011)—which, okay, is about a group of synchronized swimmers, but not the kind you might expect. These ladies are seniors, and they’re absolute legends. The film isn’t just about fancy water routines either. It dives into aging, friendship, and stubborn joy. The Aquadettes laugh, bicker, and splash around like teenagers, but they’re also dealing with stuff like illness and mortality. Somehow, it’s uplifting instead of a downer, and it’ll probably make you want to call your grandma. Kish (2016) is a bit different. It’s more experimental, sort of dreamy, focusing on an abandoned oil platform in the Persian Gulf called Kish. The vibe is haunting, almost poetic. There’s not a lot of dialogue, but you pick up on the isolation, the weird beauty of forgotten things, and maybe a little bit of longing. Cooper’s stuff? Never boring, always got a twist.