“You descend from warriors.” –Benny
The Chuska Warriors basketball team must band together and overcome the odds in their quest for championship glory after suffering a devastating loss in Sydney Freeland’s coming-of-age sports drama Rez Ball.
Set in the Navajo Nation, the Chuska Warriors are their community’s resident celebrities. However, they are in a losing slump, which the community blames on Coach Hobbs (Jessica Matten). The team’s star and leader, Nataanii Jackson (Kusem Goodwind), knows the team needs to improve if it wishes to go far this season. Nataanii is dealing with the recent loss of his mother and sister, but his community has rallied around him, showing the strength of their unity. He finds support from his teammates, especially his best friend, Jimmy (Kauchani Bratt), and despite his crushing grief, the community’s support is a beacon of hope. However, Nataanii’s grief is overwhelming, leading to a tragic end.
The loss of Nataanii leaves the entire community brokenhearted and the team devoid of hope and purpose. Coach Hobbs needs to rally her team and remind them that one of the greatest gifts they can give their fallen comrade is to play their best rez ball in his honour. With an entire community behind them, the Chuska Warriors do what they do best: defy the odds and rise to the occasion.
Freeland fires on all cylinders with Rez Ball. Fresh off her work on the MCU series Echo, Freeland crafts an engaging and heartfelt story alongside Sterlin Harjo. The duo crafts a story that will tug at your heartstrings, make you laugh, and evoke memories of being part of a team. More importantly, Freeland and Harjo explicitly write a story that highlights the resilience of the Indigenous community and also doesn’t shy away from the harsh realities caused by years of colonization, dehumanization of Indigenous communities and generational trauma, which leads to higher rates of suicide and addiction. Freeland and Harjo do a fantastic job of balancing every element of the film’s story with the utmost care, creating a film that deeply resonates with the audience.
In addition to the story, you have a fantastic cast playing characters you’ll root for throughout the movie. Newcomers Kusem Goodwind and Kauchani Bratt shine in their first feature film roles. Whether sharing screen time or commanding the screen alone, Goodwind and Bratt are effortless in their portrayals of Nataanii and Jimmy, which are heartbreaking at times. Goodwind and Bratt easily captivate the audience in their respective roles, and that this is the first feature for both young actors is mind-blowing.
Jessica Matten shines as Coach Hobbs, a former WNBA star tasked with ensuring the Chuska Warriors rise above the odds. Matten is steadfast in her performance as Hobbs, and it was a treat to watch her on-screen. Julia Jones, as Gloria, Jimmy’s mother, turns in a heartwrenching performance as a woman struggling with alcoholism while trying to care for her son, who is experiencing his own loss and trauma. The moments that Jones and Bratt share on-screen make for some of the film’s most emotional moments, and the mother-son duo are pitch-perfect throughout the movie in all the ups and downs of their relationship.
A special shoutout is necessary for Cody Lightning and Dallas Goldtooth, who portray commentators Micah Tso and Henry Tso, respectively. The pair are hilarious in their roles and bring fun to the film every chance they get. Although not in the movie as much as their counterparts, the two are a bright beacon whenever they appear. If there were a spin-off featuring their characters providing commentary for various sporting events (or anything, really), I’d definitely watch it.
Evident to all who watch the film, Rez Ball is Freeland’s admiration and love letter to her community. Complete with phenomenal performances, a great story and a determined focus on the Indigenous community, which Hollywood often overlooks, Rez Ball is one of the best coming-of-age films in recent memory. Everyone who took part in the making of this movie deserves to be awarded an MVP trophy.
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