|
|
REZ BALL
Director: Sydney Freeland Cast: Kauchani Bratt, Jessica Matten, Devin Sampson-Craig, Amber Midthunder, Julia Jones, River Rayne Thomas, Jojo Jackson, Avery Hale, Hunter Redhorse Arthur, Henry Wilson Jr., Jaren K. Robledo, Damian "Luvsmokeyy" Kusem Goodwing, Ernest David Tsosie, Henry Castellane, Dallas Goldtooth, Cody Lightning, Ryan Begay MPAA
Rating: Running Time: 1:51 Release Date: 9/20/24 (limited); 9/27/24 (Netflix) |
|
Review by Mark Dujsik | September 26, 2024 Torn between the formula of an underdog sports drama and an attempt to dramatize the lives of Native Americans surrounding the game, Rez Ball shortchanges both of its primary intentions. Co-writer/director Sydney Freeland's movie is more involving as a kind of social drama, tackling assorted issues that might befall those living on a modern-day reservation, but since everything here is framed within the context of a high school basketball team trying to succeed against the odds, the movie itself isn't nearly as invested in those lives and issues as it might have been. Instead, the script, written by the director and Sterlin Harjo (based to some degree on Michael Powell's non-fiction book), provides a handful of characters who seem more influenced by the necessities of the familiar story than anything else. Since some of this is quite serious, the combination of inspirational sports movie and the severe subject matter around it often feels disingenuous. Take the inciting incident of the plot, which mainly focuses on star basketball player Jimmy Holiday (Kauchani Bratt) and the team's coach Heather Hobbs (Jessica Matten), a retired professional player who has returned home to start a new career. Initially, though, the story appears to revolve around Jimmy and his best friend Nataanil (Kusem Goodwind), the unquestionable star of the little school's team, who has returned from a season off following the tragic deaths of his mother and sister in a drunk-driving incident. There's something to this, as Jimmy and his friend discuss their lives, their aspirations, and how they'll work together to accomplish those dreams. While sitting in the regular hangout spot with a view of the reservation within New Mexico, Nataanil asks if Jimmy has ever thought of leaving—not this place but in a more complete way. Jimmy thinks nothing of it, but at the team's next game, Nataanil doesn't show up, resulting in a humiliating defeat. The police arrive, and in the locker room after the game, Heather informs the team that Nataanil has died by suicide. The tone of this and other matters on the outskirts of the sports story is, at least, sincere, as Jimmy, the other players, and the coach—not to mention the teenager's father Ronald (Ryan Begay)—have to grieve this loss. Instead of confronting the issue directly, though, the movie uses this death as a rallying cry for the team, who are determined to overcome the personal loss and some losses on the basketball court to try to win the state championship. The goal feels insignificant or, indeed, inconsequential, compared to the tragedy that drives the motive. The whole of the story, then, is divided in a similar way. The main characters, as well as some of the supporting ones, have their problems. Jimmy is selfish on the court and, at home, has a difficult relationship with his mother Gloria (Julia Jones), an alcoholic who lost her dreams of playing basketball beyond high school and would rather her son be prepared for inevitable failure than to show him even a sliver of support. Meanwhile, Heather is looking to coach on the college level, but no school will consider her. She's also dealing with a recently ended romance with a woman who's ready to pack the coach's things and send them to her. In the big picture, one of these matters more than the other, but then again, the coach does exist mainly to play the role of the coach in the generic story this mostly becomes. She decides to think outside the box, hiring a healer as an assistant coach and making the boys team play against the girls one and forcing her players to herd lost sheep as a teambuilding exercise. As is required, Heather also makes a few locker-room speeches whenever the team's path toward the championship becomes rocky. It's a movie constantly fighting against itself, in other words. Part of it is genuine—or, at least, tries to be—about the likes of Jimmy, who becomes more attuned to his Navajo heritage and learns to play well with others, and Gloria, who gets a job and starts attending recovery meetings, and a few other characters, including Ronald and teammate Bryson (Devin Sampson-Craig), who has anger problems and a child with a classmate (Much of that, oddly, is played for laughs). Much of it, though, becomes fodder for melodrama, such as Gloria's legal troubles figuring into a third-act setback that's immediately resolved. That's really because the heart of Rez Ball is in its sports story, which unfolds through hasty montages of on-the-court action and newspaper headlines and a pair of comic-relief commentators (played by Dallas Goldtooth and Cody Lightning) who explain what we should be thinking or feeling before, during, and after every game. The filmmakers embrace this formula so tightly that none of the movie's other, far more compelling ideas and characters have any room to breathe. Copyright © 2024 by Mark Dujsik. All rights reserved. |
Buy Related Products
|
(for thematic elements including suicide, teen drug/alcohol use,
language and some crude references)
