Reflection on the Documentary Hoop Dreams (1994)

Reflection on the Documentary Hoop Dreams (1994)

REFLECTION ON THE DOCUMENTARY HOOP DREAMS (1994)

Plot: This absorbing documentary follows the lives of two inner-city African American teenage basketball prodigies as they move through high school with long-shot dreams of the NBA, and an escape from the ghetto. What makes the film more impressive is how it moves his scope beyond a competitive sports drama and addresses complex social issues, creating a scathing social commentary about class privilege and racial division. The film opens by introducing William Gates and Arthur Agee, two Chicago hopefuls, as they are being courted and recruited by various high schools to play ball, and continues until the pair are college freshmen. The film allows the audience the experience of not only watching their journeys and daily routines (it's a sobering portrait of inner-city life), but also witnessing their maturation. Each takes a separate path along the way, stumbling over several obstacles; but the film takes particular care to stress the importance and strong commitment of each character's family along the way. The parents and siblings emerge with as much depth and complexity as the two main "characters". In the course of the movie's patient, compassionate narrative, our reaction to the heroes' progress changes decisively, and for the better: at first, we're assessing their chances, measuring them for NBA uniforms; by the end, we're rooting for them simply to survive the process.

1. What does the title Hoop Dreams represents too you?

The title “Hoop Dreams” represents the fight for 2 young kids, both coming from struggling families from a rough neighborhood, to make it in the big times and to show how money, social class and the right education can drastically affect how your life can turn out.
Also, it represents how a career in basketball could help overcome or diminish the possibility of dangers such as drugs, gang life or even death.

2. What global social aspects do you see in the movie (e.g.,...

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