Cr. Lewis Jacobs/Netflix © 2024.
Premiering at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, Rez Ball is the film adaptation of the non-fiction sports novel “Canyon Dreams: A Basketball Season on the Navajo Nation” from New York Times journalist Michael Powell that focuses on the Native American high school basketball team, the Chuska Warriors, as they compete for a state title in New Mexico.
Co-written & directed by Sydney Freeland (Reservation Dogs, Echo) alongside co-writer & Reservation Dogs creator Sterlin Harjo, the film takes a look at a proud Navajo reservation community with a rich heritage & a complicated history of alcoholism, unemployment, and suicide.
No greater example of this constant struggle is the Chuska High School Basketball team. Entering a season with championship aspirations, they welcome back their star player, Nataanii Jackson (Kusem Goodwind), who missed all of the previous season after his mother & sister were killed in a drunk driving accident. Surrounded by the constant reminders of his loss & struggling to find meaning beyond the court, Nataani takes his own life after the team’s first game.
Ernest David Tsosie as Benny and Jessica Matten as Heather in Rez Ball. Cr. Lewis Jacobs/Netflix © 2024
Coping with such a tragic loss, the team must try to find a way to move on, work as a team, & embrace the Rez Ball way to guide themselves to a winning season. But with a coach on the hot seat, parents battling their own personal demons, & a growing spotlight on their story, the Chuska Warriors, led by their new captain & Nataani’s best friend Jimmy Holiday (Kauchani Bratt), will have to embody their namesake inside and out to turn everything around.
Produced by NBA superstar LeBron James & high-powered business manager Maverick Carter under their Springhill Company banner, Rez Ball is more than just a story of a team’s resilient rise to championship glory; it’s an examination of an environment plagued by tragedy & societal challenges and what it takes to survive it all.
While the on-the-court drama may be the driving force on the narrative, it’s truly the interpersonal relationships & cultural flourishes that make this movie unique and interesting. Jimmy’s budding romance and Navajo language lessons with his co-worker Krista (Zoey Reyes), corralling sheep as a team-building exercise, & playing against the women’s basketball team to learn the Rez Ball speed game are all great examples of the elements that make this movie far more compelling beyond the wins and losses.
Kauchani Bratt as Jimmy and Devin Sampson-Craig as Bryson Largo in Rez Ball. Cr. Lewis Jacobs/Netflix © 2024.
Possibly the best storytelling component in the film has almost nothing to do with basketball at all: the basketball star past, struggling alcoholic present, & hopeful future of Jimmy’s mother Gloria (The Twilight Saga’s Julia Jones). A gifted hooper in her youth, Gloria couldn’t handle the pressure of college sports and being away from the reservation. Nowadays, she can’t leave the area or hold down a job due to multiple DUIs and chronic alcoholism. The fear of seeing Jimmy fail like she did consumes her and colors everything she does as a parent; But seeing her try to rise up once more with support of some key players in the community gives the movie more depth, emotion, and drive. Her presence, alongside Krista, really bolsters the narrative for Jimmy as he learns to mature & lead his team to the state championship game.hile there is much to like in the film’s world-building & off the court character development, there is more difficulty in the on-the-court performance, particularly their coach Heather Hobbs, played by Dark Winds star Jessica Matten.
For sports movies to succeed, emotion and presence needs to be paramount. Matten’s Coach Hobbs gets a tremendous amount of screen time for a character that lacks fire, care, or substance to benefit the story. From her texting with an old flame that adds nothing to her emails with coaching recruiters that detract from her engagement with the program, it was hard to connect with her storyline and root for her success. Even scenes where she has great ideas like the sheep herding or the installment of the shot clock offense, she never seems to move the needle or connect with the audience (or maybe just me).
The needle movement, or lack thereof, can also be said about the actual sports direction as the games don’t seem to ratchet up the film’s intensity. Lack of music cues, mediocre game announcers (sorry, Dallas), & (again) lack of coaching presence make it hard to get as invested in the gameplay as we may in other aspects of the film.
Jessica Matten as Heather in Rez Ball. Cr. Courtesy of Netflix © 2024
Overall, Rez Ball is a worthy sports story to tell in a largely overlooked community. While the games may not always match great basketball movies of the recent past (even for Netflix with Hustle), the backdrop of the reservation life & the issues plaguing the Navajo Nation mixed with the resiliency & strength that culture provides makes for a uniquely fascinating sports tale. Strong performances from Julia Jones, Zoey Reyes, & newcomer Kauchani Bratt as team leader Jimmy breathe life into the film’s more emotional arcs.
Watch Rez Ball If You Liked:
- Rise
- Shooting Stars
- Reservation Dogs
- The Swimmers
- Hustle
MVP of Rez Ball
Kauchani Bratt
In a movie surrounded by accomplished TV & Film veterans on and off screen, it can be hard to match up if you’re making your big screen debut; But newcomer Kauchani Bratt as Jimmy Holiday makes it look as smooth as his jump shot.
As soon as the movie changes its gaze from Nataani & Coach Hobbs to Jimmy, the story truly starts to take shape. As Jimmy, Bratt has to vacillate between being a grieving friend to a newly named captain while having limited support from his life at home. His scenes with his mother make for the best narrative in the film taking us into her comeback story as well as his coming-of-age.
Bratt threads the needle with being believable as a threat on the court, a leader in the locker room, and a fallible teenager trying to survive in an environment that keeps having to rebound from tragedy & loss. An impressive start.
Rez Ball makes for a better relationship drama than sports drama, but its strong off-the-court narrative and cultural impact well outweigh any on-the-court shortcomings.
