By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4 cats
Director: Ted Stenson
Starring: Andrew Phung | Catherine Gell | Declan O'Reilly | Jay Morberg | Kim Faires | Paul Cowling | Reamonn Joshee
Country: canada
Year: 2021
Running time: 75
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9573468/reference
Brett says: “This debut feature film from director Ted Stenson carries a strong Wes Anderson influence with both long and full, stationary camera shots and deadpan humor that weaves together a host of characters in converging storylines. As the title suggests, the pivot point is a high school basketball game. The local Middletown High School is set to play against yet another opponent who overmatches them, but before the events transpire, preparations must be made.
“The head coach, level-headed and mostly stoic (perhaps due to only a passing interest in the competition aspect of the job), arrives at the school only to be greeted by an overenthusiastic, naive, and lofty-goaled assistant obsessed with a new book he’s been reading from NBA coach Phil Jackson, with plans to try to implement the professional’s offensive strategy with this ragtag assortment of local boys. The players themselves meet amongst themselves to gear up, but instead of discussing the game, a round table debate among a select few breaks out about about the existentialism contained within THE MATRIX, eastern mysticism, and butterflies: a quite absurd subject matter plastered against the backdrop of the current setting. Meanwhile, a “radical” school theatrical troupe prepares for their controversial take on King Lear, yet their plans are foiled when reports that the production will be shut down reaches the group. From there, an apt revenge plan begins to bake. Two referees get dressed in a vacated locker room, each with their own outside-of-the-game responsibilities that need attention and cloud the job at hand just minutes away. A quiet middle-aged videographer arrives prior to tip-off and sets up the camera for the game while keeping her knitting close by center court for when the game clock begins to tick. A silent janitor maneuvers about his mundane responsibilities, weaving in and out of the setting, yet we cannot take our eyes off of him and impose our own story upon him amid the other eccentricities that abound. The film is a volley back and forth among the pods of characters, and holistically it creates a collage of deadpan art.
“True to the title, the story is a series of episodic cuts from one storyline to the other before, during, and after the game itself. Set during the late 1990s, the director manages to capture the sensibilities of that era among youth that’s really quite understated yet definitely appealing despite the unremarkable subject matter at play here. Not having been a student in Calgary during that time, but having friends from the Alberta province in that period and reflecting on those mannerisms and personalities that were part of my perceptions of that region and era, I viewed everything from the characterization to the music to the color palette as an homage, or love letter, to the Daria-esque era that once reigned.
“The cast should all be commended for the tonal consistency kept throughout each band of characters. 4 cats
“Recommended for fans of Wes Anderson.
“Recommended for fans of deadpan humor.
“Recommended for 40-somethings who were into the ‘alternative scene’ during high school.”