MEDICINE BALL

Leya Hale masterfully weaves the adrenaline of a sports feature with deep, generational trauma. I didn't expect a film about basketball to make me cry. The quote at the very end from Lexus that basketball is more than just a game, it's a ceremony, completely recontextualizes everything you've just watched. The sport becomes a healing ritual. A beautifully constructed and deeply empathetic film.

I almost skipped this one because I thought it was just going to be another sports movie. Boy, was I wrong! It’s actually super heavy. Hearing about kids being stripped of their language and culture was tough to watch. But honestly, the basketball games gave the movie the energy it needed so it wasn’t completely depressing. I ended up really cheering for them by the end!

Я абсолютно ничего не знаю об американской истории или правилах баскетбола, но эмоциональное ядро этого фильма универсально! Оно о том, как найти свое племя и исцеляться вместе. То, как спортсмены поддерживают друг друга на площадке и за ее пределами, так трогательно. Мне очень понравился акцент на истории коренных народов. После просмотра на душе стало очень тепло.

The history of Native boarding schools is a dark chapter we are only just beginning to truly reckon with. Opening the film with the President’s acknowledgment of stolen children sets a heavy, necessary tone. But what makes this documentary brilliant is how it pivots to resilience. Seeing these young athletes reclaim their space and identity through basketball is incredibly powerful. Leya Hale did a fantastic job. 57 minutes perfectly spent!