It’s not about basketball, it’s not about dreams

Melyssa 2022-01-11 08:03:05

The famous American film critic Roger Albert placed this three-hour documentary at the top of his list of the top ten films of 1994. In Roger Albert's view, this documentary is one of the "best movies" he has ever seen. Six years later, Albert still placed it at the top of the list when selecting the greatest film of the 90s. Thanks to Albert’s persistence, this film can still get an objective evaluation consistent with its quality after the "Break" of the Oscar's Best Feature Documentary of the year (the reason is that it was too long). First look at the movie title. We can guess the content of the movie as close as possible. This is why I have been "ignoring" this movie. Firstly, I really lack enthusiasm for basketball; secondly, seeing more Hollywood inspirational movies, "dream" has long been Become synonymous with "cheap". But when the film ended, I had to regret my long “ignorance”. This is probably the most real, cruel, and most moving movie about sports and ideals ever made! Because of its truthfulness, cruelty, and moving, it transcends the story itself, allowing us to see the hand of destiny hidden behind it, and to see the true meaning of the originally illusory "American spirit"!
To paraphrase a catchphrase, "This film inherits the glorious tradition of the direct film movement. The Messos brothers, Wiseman, and Alan King have their souls at this moment." The three main creators (Steven James, Frey De Marx, Peter Gilbert) followed the two protagonists for six years and recorded every step of their pursuit of dreams. At the beginning of the movie, the two teenagers watched the NBA All-Star game on TV and watched Jordan's "performance" telling their "basketball dreams." As the spiritual icon of the city, Michael Jordan has 6 championship rings, 5 regular season MVPs, 6 finals MVPs, 10 regular season scoring champions, and scored double figures in 842 consecutive games (even me, a "pseudo fan" "Remember all this) Let him change from man to god. Michael Jordan is a monument after the American Dream has developed to its extreme, and its influence has far surpassed the sports world. For the two Chicago black teenagers, Arthur and William, Jordan is a hero beyond idols and a legend that can be interpreted in a lifetime. The two black teenagers also lived in the slums. Violence and drugs went hand in hand in their lives. The way to escape from all of them was basketball. Basketball carries the ideological meaning of transcending a sport itself. Participating in sports is not only a pastime, but its essence is that it allows you to enter a brand new world in a short time, with different players and different rules, and a short escape from the real world, wandering between this "real illusion". , To achieve great satisfaction of the soul. When you have strong talents and extraordinary abilities, sports can let you "reach the sky in one step" to say goodbye to the unbearable past. As Arthur and William said, "own a big house" and "say goodbye to this area" dreams are so simple and clear. . This is the "individualistic" ideal struggle model developed by the United States starting from that group of Puritans and the spiritual core and common belief-"freedom" that accompanied a pluralistic society. Compared with the "collectivist" ideal struggle model of "the ability to devote themselves to the endless service to the people", this "individualism" is not pure arrogance, but self-affirmation and self-affirmation of goals. Self-struggle is a necessary condition for success, but one has to accept that it is absolutely not enough to rely on self-struggle, and opportunity is a sufficient condition for success. It should be said that the opportunity for the two protagonists is here. They are selected by a good middle school, they have better development opportunities, the probability of entering the university is increased, and the hope of entering the NBA in the end is also greatly improved. (This is basically a fixed training model for American sports. From high school to university, very few people can break through this training model. In my impression, it seems like the eagle is now Smith of the team entered the league directly from high school. ) Under the "rules of the game", personal fate was dictated by certain uncertainties. Arthur could not afford the tuition and had to enter a public school dominated by blacks; William injured his knee and had to undergo two consecutive operations. The most critical Nike training camp performed poorly due to injury. Within the "rules of the game", it is not equally fair to everyone. Arthur and William both got their brains up because of the scores. The university model is the pride of American sports. It provides a mature training model not only in sports, but also in life. But in the movie, we see all the drawbacks of this training model. William eventually entered Markey University, but also failed to complete his studies. In order to attract talents, various universities continuously provide favorable conditions and incorporate students into the "business model" to train them too early, which is all a great irony of the selection system, which is known as "not sticking to one pattern to drop talents." A successful athlete must go through rounds of "drafts" (Draft) at all stages of his life. This is more like gambles time and time again: they are all unfinished gems, and who chooses them, maybe It means where you will go in your life. Arthur and William were originally selected by the same middle school, but their lives have gone to different ends afterwards.
The film inherited the achievements of the American direct film movement, the camera was aimed at the parties, watching and waiting, and the main creator played a successful non-intervention bystander. The father’s release from his sentence and the birth of his first child, the two young people have experienced challenges in their lives over the years. The director did not choose the usual "dual perspective" but chose "multiple perspectives." In other words, instead of observing the society from the eyes of the two protagonists, but focusing on the protagonist, from time to time use the eyes of the people around to examine the protagonist, which has a significant effect on depicting the "transverse section of society". As Rabig said in the "Complete Manual of Documentary Film Creation", "If society is compared to a woven carpet, and each character in the film represents a member of the social class, then they have different forms and checks and balances. The viewpoints constitute the textures with different characteristics on the woven carpet. "Black communities, white schools, high school leagues... the important cross-sections of the two protagonists' life experiences have been analyzed one by one. Social issues such as business, money, race, etc. are relentlessly magnified by the camera. Athletes and coaches are pursuing the unknown "extreme" (the original writing "extreme" but Americans are used to writing "xtreme" is to highlight the capital "X" unknown, you can never predict the future.) You must Okay, it's better after it's done. There can be no slackness, because the slightest slackness will cause others to catch up. You have to be the leader of your team. No one will pay attention to other "role players". Only the leader is in the eyes of scouts. Arthur and William are undoubtedly the leaders of their respective teams, but the two missed free throws at critical moments, the lateness of important games, and the lack of effort on the court, these leaders must not make mistakes, they have all made. These experiences also prompted them to mature faster. Opportunities are limited. Perhaps a missed shot at a critical moment can make you experience painful torture from heaven to hell.
William won the MVP of the last high school season. The title of Most Valuable Player undoubtedly dilutes the absolute personal value judgments such as TOP and BEST, and highlights the "valuable" of individuals in the team. This is a "major invention" of the Americans. In fact, most of the time we saw the film was presented to the audience for the dedication and persistence of the parents of the two families for their children's dreams. Arthur and William are the embodiment of their "value" in life, the ultimate sustenance of their dreams. In order for the children to graduate successfully and to enter a good university, the two families sacrificed too much. For any black American athlete, "Racism" is always a shield from sin and an obstacle they must overcome. It is not difficult to find that in the proportion of NBA and NFL athletes, black players account for the majority, but it is undeniable that the majority of the audience of NBA and NFL is the American white middle class living in the suburbs of cities. The criterion for all judgments is not the so-called Hip-pop culture of black people, but the conservatism of white people. The judging standards of society are not as diverse as this social composition. Dreams can only be realized within limits. From this point of view, "Basketball Dream" can be regarded as a "dystopian" movie. It rejects the "American Dream" that blindly emphasizes individual struggle and individual heroism. It places the audience in a dark tunnel. , The sun is shining at the front exit, but we never seem to be able to go to the end!

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Extended Reading
  • Angelita 2022-01-11 08:03:05

    When I think I should get out of myself for a while, it's too correct to watch this one. On the 25th anniversary of the screening, the post-screening producer (also NYU's eh) also talked quite emotionally and learned a lot about the shooting background and gossip (such as how Spike Lee helped the protagonist's family by buying the copyright). Indeed, the background of the American era in the late 1980s and early 1990s is silently behind the two wonderful protagonists. Together with the joys and sorrows of the two families, the sincere depiction of the characters + the sensitive capture of the times together ensure its long-term vitality. In such an environment, the two protagonists are too good, even if their dreams cannot be realized, they will lead them to the light; the dream is the direction that they will instinctively approach even if the surrounding is dark; I feel like I am always being African-American The reason for the film’s attraction is this pure beauty of moving from darkness to light; another feeling is that good children have good mothers. Looking at the eyes of Arthur’s mother looking at him during the interview, I suddenly felt a little bit of my parents’ treatment of me. Pride(?), I still have to live well.

  • Isabel 2022-03-26 09:01:11

    The documentary is the story of two young people with dreams who aspire to become basketball stars. The two characters, with different fates, reflect the influence of this era. The great thing about this film is that when a young man is disappointed, a young man is proud. Pleasure comes with disappointment. Maybe we are watching the NBA and never think about how many people will have to be scrapped on this road when they are dreaming of an internship. It's good to be young, but the hard work made by young people may not be rewarded in a lifetime. The odds of life are so wonderful. In any case, you must continue to stand up and chase your dreams, otherwise how can you escape the slum.

Hoop Dreams quotes

  • William Gates: Basketball is my ticket out of the ghetto.

  • Self - Arthur's Mother: You gave me that belief in myself. You really inspired me to go on. Not just stop right here, but, go further. And people told me I wasn't going to be anything.