EILM REVIEW

Hoop Dreams reminds us those of the school. While Hoop Dreams that everyone's life is a narrative; observing this conflict, we are our own stories are fuU of all the brought face to face with the approximations of life offered by unpleasant aspects of the role of fiction—tenderness, passion, organized sports in American disappointment and triumph. culture, especially in relation to This fine documentary is the marginalized and oppressed story of two teen age boys from young men, as the stakes are the West Side of Chicago swept demonstrated to be far higher on up in a dream of basketball glory, all sides than the mere matter of along with their parents, their winning or losing. The school coaches and the audience. The and especially the coaches seem film chronicles the coming of age deliberately blind to the strug- of Arthur Agee and William gles and compromises Arthur, Gates, young African American William and their families are teenagers recruited from local forced to make to continue at courts to enhance the winning St. Joseph's. basketball records of a suburban, The parents experience largely white Catholic high many of the life-altering crisis school. The filmakers began to that families on Chicago's West follow these two junior high Side often endure. These include school students when they were job loss, welfare indignities, drug recruited for the affluent St. problems and spine-stiffening Joseph's high school basketball chills, both from shutting off team. Arthur Agee and William the heat when one family cannot Gates both demonstrate a pay their power bills, to the stunning basketball ability, and intransigence of St. Joseph's in the first part of the movie is expelling Arthur during his designed to narrow our vision to sophomore year because he the basketball narrative — wül could no longer pay the tuition they or won't they become high demanded. As Arthur moves to school stars and eventually make the local pubHc high school and it to the NBA? Life in an William suffers injuries that unforgiving white suburban interrupt his ascending star in high school soon surprises the high school basketball, the boys and, it seems, the filmakers. filinakers may have wished to By Mary Ann Jimenez As the story takes a tum turn away from their subjects into the minefield of ethnic and assume the story finished. exploration with the paternalism They deserve credit for conti- demonstrated by the coaches at nuing to film (over 250 hours, Mary Ann Jimenez, Ph.D. the high school and various over the course of 5 years) their is professor. Department of school officials, the film reveals story, for its richest texture Social Work, California State the jagged fit between the comes in the last third of the University, Long Beach. protagonists' expectations and movie, when Arthur and William

,73 REFLECTIONS: SPRING 95 redefine the meaning of success audience of their real worth, far The sense is of a singular private and begin to commit themselves more than the hungry, covetous moments inadvertently revealed to their own goals. Both end up looks of the college basketball to us; no created narrative could in college playing basketball, scouts who watch the teenagers evoke a simüar response. but the arc of the Uves no longer play Hoop Dreams demon- reaches solely toward the NBA. The two best scenes in strates that documentary fiUns, Inevitably the audience the movie revolve aroimd the tenderly and economically told, wonders at the cost of the parents. Ui one Arthur's mother. can have a compelling cinematic transplantation of inner city Sheila, has completed a course quality without the contrivances teenagers to the suburban high in nurse's training and has taken and cynicism of many contem- school for the purpose of erü\an- an exam whose outcome she is porary "slice of life" films luce cing that school's basketball nervously waiting. As she is Pulp Fiction . This is lütimately record. The costs are measured informed that she scored number the power of the film: it portrays in terms of the self respect, pride one in her class on the exam, her the tensions, conflicts and joyful and ethnic integrity of Arthur increduUty, rapidly succeeded by vibrancy of life in urban America and Wüliam and their famiUes; exultant joy and tharücfulness in a way that no movie with this is the price, the film seems make this the most moving scene simüar themes has ever done. As to be saying, of upward mobiUty inthefibn. Sheüahashadavery a window into a world of fierce through the narrow world of hard time during Arthur's high resistance to dehumanization. sports. The fümakers underscore school year, her marriage, her Hoop Dreams is a narrative triüy the rank counterfeit quaUty of job, her source of income has and deeply felt. D the NBA dream for most young been jeopardized, her son has men, no matter how talented. nearly failed school, yet she The two mothers, as a saved a piece of her resilience kind of Greek chorus in the füm, and strength for herself and we offer their own perspectives on are stripped of the role of the these larger issues and remind observer and swept up without the audience of what is signi- reserve in her triumph. ficant in the narrative. That their The other moving scene roles are truly the heroic ones, occurs toward the film's end, the film leaves no doubt. Alone when Arthur has already been among family members, they accepted to a junior college away seem to be able to put the NBA from home on a basketball dream in perspective; whereas scholarship. He and his father. this and other fallen dreams Bo, play a pickup game on the seems to have embittered or local court and the good-natured ermervated many of the men teasing and compefition between (father, brothers, friends) in the them brim over with unresolved film. It is the women who conflicts, as the anguish Arthur remind us that self respect is feels toward his sometimes more important than success absent father intersects with his and does not depend on it. They father's need to brag about his cry out about the human cost of own would-be inequaUty; one mother shows us NBA career. The painful her cold and dark mid-winter intimacy and tension of this Chicago apartment and asks" scene vividly reminds the and they expect people to live audience of the power of Uke this?" Their hope and beUef documentary — with few words in their sons is what reminds the an entire relationship is laid bare.

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