|
From SeeingBlack.com Movies
Though women’s sports have attracted more attention in recent decades, with the development of the WNBA, the brief flirtation in the U.S. with women’s professional soccer and better funding of women’s programs at colleges and universities, it is still the stepchild of the athletic world. At least one sports aficionado I know believes that the big, unreported story of race and sports is the unequal funding received by women’s programs at White, wealthier schools versus the funding that Black females receive at schools with fewer resources. These issues of gender, race and class in sports form a subtext of “Heart of the Game,” an energetic and probing documentary that follows a high school girls basketball team in Seattle and, in particular, the desire of one young, talented Black player, Darnellia Russell, to pursue her dream to play in the WNBA. Filmmaker Ward Serrill spent seven years following the players of Roosevelt High School, located in what is described as a middle class to wealthy area of the city. His coverage began well before Russell came on the scene and, throughout the film, is obviously more focused on the team’s unlikely coach, Bill Resler, a pudgy tax accountant who does not fit the typical mold of a hard-edged team leader.
Though narrated by Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, it is through the eyes of Serrill and Resler that the story and years unfold. Through them, we experience the sweep of emotions and time—the nail-biting drama of and high-stakes emotion of each win or loss and the evolution of girls into young women. But the viewpoint is that of an observer, who, at times, is a bit distant. Part of that distance comes from the fact that, as stated in the film, Resler is not “on the court” or in the inner-circle of the players from which he purposely excludes himself. The other distance factor, oddly, may be due to Serrill’s dogged approach to the complex subject matter. Over the many years, it was perhaps easier to make the likeable Resler the main focus, as opposed to Russell or other the young women, who may not have been as open or forthcoming as subjects. Even though Russell’s story—including the fact that she was declared ineligible to play by the state’s ruling body of high school sports— is an obvious focus of the documentary, we don’t get to know her that well personally. Even though we see her in some team action, we don’t hear her or anyone else talk about her signature moves or the details about what makes her a great ball player. We just know that everyone says that she is one. The viewer who comes to this story as a novice, not knowing about Russell or about this important chapter of Seattle sports history, may need more to chew on. This is an excellent documentary but, in the end, Darnellia Russell is a highlight in the larger story of Bill Resler and the team. In a telling sequence, as we watch Resler and Russell play a little one-on-one, Resler jokes off-camera that Russell is his best shot "at being famous." She is also the best shot, in this movie, of defining what is really the "heart" of basketball. Esther Iverem is founder of www.SeeingBlack.com and author of a new book of poems, Living in Babylon. © Copyright by SeeingBlack.com |
