Hoop Dreams is a documentary that follows two Chicago high school basketball players, Arthur Agee and William Gates, as they chase their dreams. For five years, the film follows two inner-city kids as they overcome the obstacles laid by their families and environment. A mix of basketball action and scathing social commentary, this film's snub in the 1994 Oscars forced a reform of the nomination process for documentaries.
http://www.amazon.com/Hoop-Dreams-Criterion-Collection/dp/B0007WFYBG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1271127569&sr=8-1
http://product.half.ebay.com/Hoop-Dreams_W0QQtgZinfoQQprZ45550768
I watched this film last night between rounds. It really held my attention, despite being incredibly long. Both kids, William and Arthur, were fascinating to watch. William seemed to be the one who understood more what he had to do in order to become something in basketball, where as Arthur more wanted to just have fun playing. Then two of their family members were also really compelling; William's brother Curtis and Arthur's mom Sheila. Their stories are what drive the social commentary more than William's and Arthur's, because their stories are more typical and demonstrate the struggle of freeing yourself from a bad life when "the system" seems out to get you at times.
ReplyDeleteThis movie will be interesting to have just seen once we reach the NBA draft in a few weeks. Certainly some of the guys going in the first round have similar stories; difficult family life or struggles to balance academics. At least for the first rounders they wont have to worry about money or books for a while.