True Films 3.0 - Kevin Kelly

The Heart of the Game
The great draw of this film is the marathon span of filming. For seven
years a solo filmmaker followed a high school basketball team
as it tried to mold suburban girls into state champs. That perseverance
pays off with deep portraits of individual girls and the coach.
The inspirational genius behind the team is an unlikely college tax
professor who moonlights as the team’s coach. He has a heart for
the game, and can touch the hearts of everyone around him. The
film follows a few girls as they rise, fall, sidestep, jump ahead and
mature. In particular the film stars one remarkable girl who manages
to overcome incredible obstacles. It’s like the great documentary
Hoop Dreams (p.80) in some ways, only better. There’s more
play-by-play of actual games, which ratchets up the excitement and
drama at least two notches. After seven years the film concludes
in a nail biting climax that seems so unlikely you’d disbelieve it if it
came from Hollywood. Despite all the flashy sport, theres a golden
heart of wisdom at the center of this film.
By Ward Serrill
2005, 103 min.
Available from Amazon
Rent from Netflix
The ups and downs of winning and losing as state
champs. The bald-headed guy (left) is a tax professor
in his day job.
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