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THE HEART OF THE GAME
Directed, Written & Director of Photography: Ward Serrill.
Produced by: Ward Serrill & Liz Manne.
Edited by: Eric Frith.
Music by: The Angel.
Released by: Miramax.
Country of Origin: USA. 98 min. Rated: PG-13.
Narrated by: Chris "Ludacris" Bridges.

Bill Resler, a college tax professor by day, is not quite what you'd expect when you think of a high school basketball coach. Affable, chubby and gray haired, he's a true lover of the game and his intensity is fierce. His three daughters (one a former basketball player) all went to Roosevelt High, a predominantly white school in a middle-to-upper-class section of Seattle that has a long history of success in sports, mostly with the boys' teams. This changes after Darnellia Russell, an African-American transfer student from a high school on the other side of town, enters his gym; Resler knows he's found his number one player.

Resler has a keen instinct, knowing that winning takes guts, sweat and raw energy. He doesn't merely encourage the girls; he incites them to "Sink your teeth in their necks! Draw blood!" This becomes their rallying cry as the team imagines themselves as a "pack of wolves," playing each game not only to win, but to kill and devour their opponents. "War is fun," says team member Jade. "I live for the hunt, the kill." Resler even shows the team a picture of wolf fangs bared to further drive the point home. However, when Darnellia is faced with a challenge that could put her basketball and academic future in jeopardy, her teammates and coach must decide whether to support her desire to continue playing, even after she's ruled ineligible by Seattle's governing sports authority.

This exciting documentary follows the Roosevelt Roughriders over a seven-year period leading up to the 2004 Washington State Basketball Championship. The girls are the "stars" of this film and director Ward Serrill captures them up close and personal (often really, really close) so that we're right there on the court and on the sidelines. From every time-out on the clock, foul shot and final ring of the buzzer, Serrill creates a sense of anticipation and also dread over the thought that even though the girls are close to winning, they just might not. Tanya Chesterfield
June 9, 2006