ScreenFish

where faith and film are intertwined

Reviews

Reporting from Slamdance – a few final films

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A few more films as I wind down my coverage of Slamdance Film Festival. It has been a wonderful experience, as most film festivals are.

In Jim Bernfield’s documentary feature Me to Play, Dan Moran and Chris Jones, two actors with Parkinson’s Disease, set out to perform Samuel Beckett’s Endgame. Jones describes the project at one point as “two actors with diminishing physical abilities playing two characters with diminishing physical abilities trying to get through the last stages of their lives.” The film is built around the five weeks of rehearsal leading up to the single performance. Along the way the two actors share the ways the affliction has changed their lives. For actors, their bodies and voices are essential not only to their profession, but to their sense of who they are. This film serves well as a look into the kinds of struggles people face with debilitating diseases, and the bits of hope they can find along the way.

Race and rage are the focus of The Sleeping Negro, directed by Skinner Myers. In a frequently surreal film, a young black man is trying to get by in the world, but the rage he carries over the racist system leads him to push away the people closest to him. He argues about racism with both a black friend and his white fiancée, both of whom don’t think racism is as bad as he claims. In many ways, the rage is directed at himself. He is conflicted to be trying to find success in a world that is racially unjust and wanting nothing to do with it. The film serves as an introduction to some of the ways the African-American experience can wear on the emotional and psychological well-being of people.

After America, directed by Jake Yuzna, grew out of a project involving criminal justice de-escalation workers in Minneapolis. They used theater workshop techniques to portray their struggles with their real-life pressures. There are a series of different storylines, some of which converge briefly. The film seems to be going off in several directions at once, making it a bit chaotic. Some of the stories focus on relationships, connections, loneliness, brokenness, feelings of uselessness. Some bits have a surreal feel to them, especially when much of the film takes place in an empty shopping mall. There are other visual shots that show the emptiness that the characters feel they are living in.

The United States vs. Billie Holiday: Keep Singing a New Song

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Just don’t sing the song.

That’s the advice given to legendary singer Billie Holiday regarding her iconic single, ‘Strange Fruit’. Set against the backdrop of the pre-Civil Rights Movement era, Holiday’s heartfelt song the challenged the practice of lynching African-Americans became a lightning rod of controversy for the federal government out of fear that it could cause civil disturbances. Now, in Lee Daniels’ latest film The United States vs. Billie Holiday, Holiday’s ongoing battle with the FBI is on full display, showcasing the unique courage of an icon and the incredible pressure that she was under to conform.

Beginning in 1940s, the film follows Billie Holiday (Andra Day), the world-class singer of such hits as All of Me and Blue Moon who became the target of the federal government due to her powerful ballad, ‘Strange Fruit’. Although she was arrested as a part of the FBI’s escalating war on drugs, their ultimate goal was to prevent her from performing the controversial song out of fear that it may begin to bring (much-needed) social change.

Passionate and effective, The United States vs. Billie Holiday is a testament to the resilience of a cultural icon at a time of oppression. Though the film is a bit of a slow starter, Daniels’ skill as a storyteller shines as the narrative draws you in along the way. Resisting the chance to portray Holiday solely as an American hero, Daniels gives balance to the starlet by displaying her flaws as well. Plagued by addiction and abusive relationships her entire career, Daniels shows grace to Holiday as a woman who has been taken advantage of since childhood yet never fully justifies her decisions either. Instead, Daniels fully fleshes out the humanity of a woman who struggled with her own personal demons yet also sought to be an example to a people who needed her unique voice.

While the film features solid performances across the board, it’s Day that positively lights up the screen as the titular songstress. Though only her second major acting role (Marshall), the Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter absolutely owns the role of Holiday. Despite being central to almost every scene, Day remains fascinating to watch throughout the film. In many ways, Holiday was a complicated woman who commanded the stage to the public yet carried the burdens of her past in private. With this in mind, Day imbues the character with a complex mix of strength and fragility that somehow makes her feel authentic.

Set a decade before the Civil Rights Movement really began to take shape, the film focuses on the fervour surrounding Holiday’s famed, ‘Strange Fruit’. By calling attention to the horrific practice of lynching through her music, Holiday became viewed by the government as a threat that could upset the [read: their] status quo. To them, Holiday’s music created a conversation that they simply did not want to have for fear of seeing the current power structures change. 

But the film points out that, ultimately, the song was not their problem.

Though other Black artists were deemed ‘acceptable’ due to their willingness to ‘play by the rules’ of the time, Holiday’s self-confidence and courage set her apart. As such, the greatest threat to the powers of the time may not have even been her music but her staunch defiance as a Person of Colour. (“You’re scared of her because she’s strong, stunning and Black,” says FBI informant, Jimmy.) While the song may have been the lightning rod, it was Holiday’s determination to sing it despite their pressure that caused the greatest issue for the FBI. Despite increasing pressure (and numerous set-ups) to simply ‘stop playing the song’, there was a bravery inherent to Holiday’s character that is put on display here. To Holiday, ‘Strange Fruit’ was a cry for justice. She understood that the song was important to the Black community so she remained unwavering in her intent to sing it. 

When the government wanted to force her into their mold, she refused. And they couldn’t handle it.

In this way, The United States vs. Billie Holiday portrays Holiday as a person of passion and self-awareness. Though her personal struggles weighed heavily on her, she understood the power and influence that she carried with those who were willing to listen. At a time when many were being silenced, Daniels shows the starlet as a woman who was unafraid to speak up (or, more specifically, sing a different song) at a time when it was needed most.

The United States vs. Billie Holiday is available on Hulu on Friday, February 26th, 2021.H

Sex, Drugs & Bicycles: Wait, You Can Do THAT?

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Before watching this documentary, the most that I knew about the Netherlands involved tulips and the ceramic clogs that my mother and grandmother collected. It’s only been more recently that I’ve even begun to intentionally learn more about countries and lifestyles beyond American soil, so it made sense to me to take a look into this film and see what it could show me about a country so very different than my own.

And I left enlightened. 

Sex, Drugs & Bicycles from Jonathan Blank takes us through a comedic and visually engaging journey in and around the most common (and some of the more obscure) highlights of Dutch infrastructure and lifestyles. From their healthcare, family lives, and work-life balance to the political scene, climate responsibility, and even bike riding, Blank makes sure we see all the color and drama that life in the Netherlands has to offer.

For starters, the filmography matches the vibrant content. In a style I can only describe as “paper-animation-puppet show meets no-holds-barred video,” this documentary is a fun mix of satire and insight presented in a way that kept me completely engaged. It was immediately evident that the Dutch know exactly who they are and why they do what they do. This acceptance of acting as “a salad bowl,” as opposed to “a melting pot,” seems to me to be the primary reason that they are regularly ranked in the top 5 of nations in the areas of healthcare (#3), education (#3), freedom of the press (#3), productivity (#4), and number 1 in happiest children and work-life balance.

But how does all of this actually happen? As an American, most of my education in those areas has told me: “universal healthcare doesn’t work, people take advantage of vacation time, success is dependent on how hard you work, and if people don’t earn it, they don’t deserve it, etc.” (I could go on and on). But the numbers tell a different story. And while I acknowledge that life in the U.S. is vastly different than in the Netherlands, I can’t help but wonder what we are missing out on.

The Netherlands takes the health of their citizens seriously. No one is making money off of the health care system and people have equal access to the services they need including transgender support and sexual health care. With required vacation pay AND vacation time, Dutch citizens are still some of the most productive (and prosperous) people in the world even though they are paid for 13 months and only work 11. This means families actually spend time together, with regular lines of communication between parents and children that last well beyond their challenging teenage years – which is a huge component of why those same kids are ranked as the happiest in the world. And by biking everywhere, the country as a whole seems to have a communal pace that ebbs and flows with the times.

Now this does not mean everything is perfect there, or even feasible everywhere. Racial tension is climbing as more Dutch citizens acknowledge a problematic history regarding the Dutch slave trade. While LGBTQIA rights are taken very seriously and publicly supported, the discrimination is still there. And after previously leading the way in climate change, the Netherlands is now playing catch up after years of laxed policy. Some of those interviewed in the documentary are even concerned that perhaps Dutch leadership is taking the country in the wrong direction. 

Do the Dutch do things that I don’t agree with? Absolutely. I’m not comfortable with their acceptance and promotion of sex work, nor how they approach drug education and experimentation. But I maintained an open mind so that I could at least understand their why, even if I still didn’t agree with their how. To ignore the systems and structures of other countries is to actually do a disservice to my own. There is always something to learn. And Sex, Drugs & Bicycles showed me I have much learning still to do.

Sex, Drugs & Bicycles is available on Friday, February 26th, 2021.

Reporting from Slamdance – 18th & Grand

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Growing up in Los Angeles in the 50s and 60s, I was well aware of the Olympic Auditorium. That was where they held wrestling, roller derby, and boxing that came into our homes on local TV. Later it was the scene of punk rock shows. In the years since, I’ve driven by it often (although it is now The Glory Church of Jesus Christ). So it was a given that I was going to want to see Slamdance’s Closing Night feature, the world premiere of 18th & Grand: The Olympic Auditorium Story. Would it just be a fun nostalgic trip or something more?

Certainly, there was some wonderful nostalgia, but director Stephen DeBro was much more interested in showing not just the history of the venue, but how that history reflects the city’s history and the cultural aspects that were reflected in the sporting and entertainment events that took place there.

The film spends little time on the early history of the Olympic, built in 1925 and serving as the venue for boxing, wrestling, and weight-lifting competitions in L.A. first Olympics in 1932. The film’s story really begins in the 1940s when Ailene Eaton becomes the business manager. Eaton, who had never seen a fight at that point, went on to become an extremely influential boxing promoter, promoting fights from the Central Valley to the Mexican border, but primarily at the Olympic which was seen as the West Coast equivalent of Madison Square Garden. The Olympic holds an important place in the history of boxing. The film touches only briefly on fight fixing and mob involvement, but gives the impression that it didn’t last long at the Olympic.

But the film also shows the way the Olympic reflected the city. Eaton created boxing cards that attracted the Mexican-American population. This at a time when L.A. was very divided (and in many ways it still is). She promoted fighters like Enrique Bolanos and Art Aragon, who represented two very different views of how Mexican-Americans fit into society. In later years, among those who were got important career opportunities at the Olympic included Julio César Chavéz, and Carlos Palomino (both of whom are interviewed in the film).

When the film turns to the wrestling that took place at the Olympic, it shows the way the good vs. evil aspect to this scripted sport reflected the geo-political tensions of the post- World War and later the Cold War period.

The film is bolstered by interviews DeBro has done with various people who have been involved at the Olympic, including fighters, wrestlers like Roddy Piper and Dick Beyer (aka The Destroyer, who was interviewed in his mask); Dick Enberg, who announced boxing there early in his career; Mamie Van Doren, part of the celebrity scene at fights; and Gene LeBell, son of Ailene Eaton and an important part of the Olympic in his own right. Those interviews are important bits of history, because some of those interviewed have since past away.

I love the nostalgia of seeing these bits of my childhood recreated, but I appreciate even more the depth that the film goes into to put it in a particular cultural setting—something we rarely think about, especially with sports like boxing, wrestling, or roller derby, with their violence and in the case of the latter two, scripted showmanship. The film’s exploration of the Olympic serves a way to look into L.A.’s and the broader society’s past, and allows us to rethink the present in that light.

Minari: What is This Place?

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“What is this place?  Our new home.”

Set in rural America in the 1980’s, Minari tells the story of a young Korean couple forging a new life in a new place.  A new home.  Produced by American companies A24 and Plan B Entertainment, the film reflects award winning director and writer Isaac Chung’s childhood on a small farm in Arkansas. Minari invites us to accompany the film’s protagonists and their children as they move from urban California to a totally new landscape. The new life they encounter is sometimes unsettling, sometimes hilarious, and always bone-tiring. It paints a picture of the life of so many of our fellow travellers as they leave less than perfect situations for what they hope will be life changing situations.  

The journey from urban to rural is often a difficult transition. “What is this place” is a real question and provides the movie with a potent motif.  Will this be a place to provide a living and happiness?  Will it be a place of beauty and grace, or only a temporary stop to an even better living?  Will our children be at home and accepted here?  How will Grandma survive, newly arrived from Korea? Will the farm be close enough to the hospital if young David need surgery?  Jacob and Monica come to different conclusions on many of these questions and their divergent views put a strain on their tiny family.

The divide is not simply between rural and urban, however.  The jobs that were so taxing in the city (chicken sexing) follow them to the country.  The divide between traditional and new also colours their decisions and discussions.  Jacob and Monica had vowed in Korea that they would come to America “and save each other”.  But has this happened?  The gap between aspiration and reality seems only to widen as the movie progresses.  

There is usually a crisis point in most lives, and in most movies too. When this happens in Minari, loyalties must be selected and decisions made.  The choice of family or farm – running or walking – grandma staying or going -must finally be made from the heart.

This film would be simply a sweet and time honoured immigrant story if it were not for the bright humour as well as the genuineness of the script.  In the hands of such skilled actors the words come alive and stay with us.  Kudos too to the exquisite musical score.  At times haunting, at times disjionted, at times lilting; it too reflects the immigrants’ experience.  Minari is visually appealing as well. The countryside is filled with lush beauty.  It acts as a compelling character in the story.  And in the final analysis it provides the ground in which the non-native plant – the Minari – can thrive and grow and bring sustenance to all.

Minari is now available on VOD.

The Mauritanian: How Do You Know What’s True?

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Mohamedou Ould Salahi was held from 2002 to 2016 in the Guantánamo Bay detention camp off of Cuba. As a result of the 9/11 attacks, the United States government launched the War on Terror, with Salahi swept up due to his relationships with known terrorists. Without identified charges, Salahi was held prisoner, as his pro bono lawyer Nancy Hollander sharpened swords against the Army’s prosecutor, Lt. Colonel Stuart Couch. Salahi’s Guantanamo Diary is now the basis for the cinematic depiction of the events, The Mauritanian.

Directed by Kevin Macdonald (The Last King of Scotland, State of Play), the film stars Tahar Rahim as Salahi, with Jodie Foster and Benedict Cumberbatch as the two lawyers at the center of his court case. (Rahim and Foster are nominated for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actress at the 78th Golden Globes). The film itself moves slowly, replicating how the grinding of the wheels of justice are not swift, or sure, at times. The tension is primarily accented by the way the audience sees Rahim struggling and suffering as Salahi, Prisoner 760, abused, abandoned, condemned, and imprisoned for no concrete reason.

Foster’s Hollander is clear that they are not fighting in court for whether Salahi has done anything wrong, but whether the court can even prove that he did anything worth considering as evidence. Habeus corpus gets thrown around here, as the elder Hollander attempts to show her talented but green assistant (Shailene Woodley) the ropes. What exists in Gitmo is not necessarily clear, but it is clear that the treatment of Salahi is unfair, and inhumane. Rahim’s portrayal of this deep man is captivating, as he clearly inhabits the world and soul of the author of the diary.

The Mauritanian is long, and at times a struggle, as the audience sees the humanity in Salahi and recognizes from real-world news how long he was imprisoned. But the film is not just an indictment of injustice, or a call to world attention to the handling of crime and punishment, it is a testament to the kind of person Salahi was. In one of his hearings, he tells the judge who holds is freedom in his hands that “the word for free and forgiveness is the same one in Arabic.” He says he is free at Gitmo because he’s forgiven those who hurt him, drawing on his Muslim faith to empower him.

While a high percentage of us will never be imprisoned against our will, we all have a choice to make. Will we forgive those who hurt us or be imprisoned by our inability to let go?

The Mauritanian is in theaters now, and On Demand on March 2.

The Last Vermeer: What Would You Do For the Truth?

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The Last Vermeer tells the story of how a former Dutch Resistance fighter-turned-investigator, Claes Bang’s Joseph Pillar, investigates painter and art dealer Han van Meegeren (Guy Pearce), who he believes aided the Nazis during World War II. In the novel by Jonathan Lopez, The Man Who Made Vermeers, the drama for the film is set up as Pillar believes van Meegeren has sold a Vermeer painting to a leader in the Nazi party, Hermann Göring. Pursuing the elusive painting, Pillar hopes to punish Meegeren for his involvement in the war.

The film has two layers to it in terms of art: the exploration of van Meegeren and the evaluation of art by those who appreciate it. A quick Google search will clear up the audience’s expectation of good and bad (another government/law enforcement figure who looks like Ronald Lacey’s Arnold Toht may tip the audience off prematurely), and while it’s the central tie to the film, it’s not the most interesting one. Some will recognize that there’s a parallel between how characters appreciate (or don’t) Vermeer and other art, as a commentary about how people respond to film. (Is critiquing someone else’s work actually relevant or is simply a matter of opinion?)

But there’s a third, overlapping with the first two, about what it means to survive in war, and how people justify, forgive, condemn, or ostracize people based on their expectations for behavior – and their own decision-making. This one is potentially the most interesting story in the mix.

Is Pillar too hard on his wife? Has he wrestled with what he experienced on his own? How do the things that people do to survive in extreme cases get resolved after the conflict is over, after the war fires have burned out? Can certain things be justified in certain times but not others, or are they always damnable? The Last Vermeer uses art to bring that to the service and challenge us to consider it.

The Last Vermeer is available on Digital, Blu-ray and DVD from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.

Crisis – Trying to Take on Opioids

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The opioid epidemic is the setting for Nicholas Jarecki’s Crisis. The film looks at the issue from different angles by using three storylines (two of which converge) that allow the film to explore the pain caused by this problem as well as ethical and law enforcement issues that complicate the issue in many ways. The film rapidly flips from one story to another.

Jake Kelly (Armie Hammer) is an undercover DEA agent who is working to bring together a sting that will break up an international fentanyl smuggling operation. Kelly has a sister who is struggling with addiction. His operation has him serving as a middle man between Detroit drug dealers and a supplier in Montreal. As he tries to negotiate the dangerous landscape of such an operation, he is also brought back to the consequences of addiction as he tries to deal with his sister.

The emotional side of the story focuses on Claire Reimann (Evangeline Lilly), a woman with a past of opioid problems whose son goes missing. When he is found dead, he seems to have overdosed. But it becomes evident that this was not an accident, but a murder to deal with loose ends of a smuggling operation that her son unwittingly was part of. As she seeks to find out more, it will lead her to Montreal as well.

The more complex storyline focuses on ethical and business aspects of the opioid issue. Dr. Tyrone Brower (Gary Oldman) is an academic who does research for at a university. In doing tests on a prospective non-addictive painkiller about to be approved, he discovers some disturbing information. But he faces several dilemmas, including being offered a huge amount of money to underwrite his lab (if he’s willing to sign a non-disclosure agreement), and threats to his reputation and job. Should he blow the whistle and risk everything he has? What is his responsibility to the university? What is his responsibility to society as a whole?

This storyline also takes us into the Big Pharma business world where companies are looking for profits, but at what cost to society? Is their product a blessing or a curse? Will the profits from the new drug make it possible to develop even better ones?

The storylines focusing on Jake Kelly and Claire Reimann create a crime/thriller kind of film. The tension builds throughout the film to lead to a showdown that will end up with gunfire and death. But this is a storyline that grows out of anger and pain. It looks for revenge and making someone pay. There really isn’t anything new in this part of the film.

I found the Dr. Brower narrative much more interesting. It asks questions that are important to consider, both on about academia and the business world and their responsibilities to society. The question is brought up in various ways concerning doing what is practical, what is profitable, and what is right. I thought this plotline could have easily been expanded to be a complete film in itself by delving a bit deeper into the business and governmental aspects that are only briefly touched on.

Crisis is available in theaters (where open) and coming soon to VOD.

Photos by Philippe Bosse, courtesy of Quiver Distribution.

The Croods: A New Age – Stone Age Meets the Modern Age

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If you want to look at the present, sometimes we need to start with the past.

Following the events of 2013’s The Croods, The Croods: A New Age follows the ‘first family’ as wander through the wilderness. Their simple lives are turned upside down though when they stumble upon the Bettermans, a family that has built a life of privilege through their innovative technology and their high value on self-protection. When the Bettermans decide that the Croods are a threat to their life of luxury, they attempt to rid themselves of their visitors but, in the process, unleash the danger that lurks on the other side of their incredibly high walls.

Directed by Joel Crawford, Croods: A New Age was not a sequel that seemed necessary yet proves to be most welcome. Whereas the first film focused entirely on the Crood clan, New Age opens up the world considerably (and creatively) with the addition of the Bettermans and their utopian realm. While the first film was fairly well-received, the world in which they lived had a relatively limited colour palette as the Croods trudged through their largely dusty terrain. However, with a new environment comes new opportunities for innovation and Crawford and his team let their imaginative juices fly.

Featuring wild creatures and dazzling bursts of colour, there’s an energy within New Age that was missing from its predecessor which also gives the franchise new life. (Personally, I believe that anyone who came up with the idea of ‘wolf-spiders’ really needs to seek some professional help, regardless of how adorable they look.) Filled with modern references like ‘window addiction’ and enough technological wonders to make The Flintstones jealous, Croods: A New Age feels relevant to the modern family and keeps the laughs going along the way.

Even the cast seems slightly more… well… animated in the sequel now that they some new blood to play with. Given the opportunity to work alongside Dinklage’s sophisticated but slimy Phil Betterman, Nicolas Cage’s Grug seems much more likable and endearing. At the same time, with their relationship now firmly established, both Emma Stone and Ryan Reynolds are much more comfortable with one another as their characters move towards their ‘forever’. Stealing the show, however, are the aforementioned Bettermans, played by veterans Peter Dinklage and Leslie Mann. Stepping into the role of antagonists to the Croods, Dinklage and Mann are a joy to watch as the obnoxiously wealthy Bettermans. (‘Emphasis on the better,’ they remind.) Though detestable for their celebration of privilege, Dinklage and Mann embed their performances with a nervous desire to protect their family that somehow makes them seem more sympathetic. 

Similar to the first film, A New Age also wants to explore what it means to be both an individual and valued part of the pack. As they settle into the Betterman’s luxurious villas, the Croods finally have the opportunity to have some privacy… but is that something that they really want? As they adjust to living in a technological paradise that allows for them to finally have some space between them, the Croods also find themselves more divided.

Having built a bond between them by always sticking together (primarily out of fear), their new environment provides a certain sense of ease to it that gives them freedom. While this can be life-giving to some, innovations like the ‘man-cave’ and Thunk’s obsession with the window also create roadblocks within their family. In this way, the film recognizes the modern challenges of relationships as we continue to find new ways to create space between us and struggle to maintain open communication in the family unit.

What may be most surprisingly, however, is that A New Age is also unafraid to venture into a new age of ideas by adding the numerous layers of cultural subtext to the family-friendly adventure. From the female empowerment of the Thunder Sisters to the abuse of the environment, the film explores a broad range of culturally relevant issues that help elevate the film’s story. (In fact, through Betterman’s control of the bananas and water supply, the film even suggests the socio-economic ramifications of creating a caste system where the divide between rich and poor continues to grow.) In doing so, there’s a certain level of bravery to A New Age as it intelligently explores some of the deeper issues of our current culture while never becoming overburdened by the conversations or losing the fun.

Despite having little that’s new to the standard animated release, the disc Little Red Bronana Bread and Dear Diary: World’s First Pranks are not spectacular but are effective and entertaining. What’s more, director’s commentaries are always welcome as well. Still, the simplest shorts may be the most helpful. For parents looking for something to do with their kids during a lockdown, shorts that offer creative options like ‘FamiLeaf Album’, ‘How to Draw: Caveman Style’ and ‘Stone Age Snack Attack’ may help bring some activities into your home. It’s also worth noting that the colours really pop onscreen with the home release, especially on the 4K disc.

Filled with humour and heart, The Croods: A New Age is a worthwhile venture. Once again, Grug, Eep and the rest of the family prove that the value of knowing your place in the pack and the importance of supporting one another in the most difficult of circumstances. 

Without question, they have peaked my interest to see what happens in the next age.

Croods: The New Age is available on VOD, 4K, Blu-Ray and DVD on February 23rd, 2021.

The House that Rob Built: Leaving a Legacy

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Anyone can build a house. But it takes someone of true character to build a home.

The House the Rob Built tells the story of University of Montana’s legendary basketball coach, Rob Selvig. Coming to the school at a time when women’s sports were not taken seriously, Selvig’s time as head coach of the Lady Griz created a legacy of winning that brought the support of the entire community. More importantly though, Selvig inspired his players to greatness, encouraging and empowering young women for almost four decades.

Directed by Megan Harrington and Jonathan Cipiti, The House that Rob Built is a poignant doc that shows the power that one life can have when they remain committed to serving others. As a former player of Selvig’s herself, Harrington has a great deal of affection towards her former coach and the film reflects that love and respect. Through personal testimonies and old footage, Harrington and Cipiti do a good job showing the incredible respect and admiration that Selvig carries with his players, even to this day. Thankfully though, neither does the film entirely deify Selvig either. By allowing the women to share their stories of Selvig’s temper during games, The House shows Selvig as an imperfect man, even if his coaching legacy supersedes him. (This may sound like a strange thing to highlight but, in actuality, it shows some maturity on behalf of the filmmakers to show some of the blind spots of their subject, even if its someone they admire.)

While the film shows the team’s incredible success and how it caught fire in its community, what shines through most within The House is the commitment that Selvig has to his team. Offered several ‘higher profile’ jobs in the NCAA over the course of his career, Selvig stayed in Montana because he simply felt that his work was far from finished. Though moving may have meant a higher salary or more notoriety, his heart for those youth and the joy that he experienced in their growth gave him such satisfaction that he felt no reason to leave. 

In doing so, however, Selvig brought stability to not only a fledgling program but also to the lives of these young women. Story after story within The House reflect the important role that Selvig played in the lives of his players. At a time when women’s sports was viewed as somehow lesser than men’s, Selvig never saw his players (or the sport) in that way. To him, these young women were easily as good as (or maybe even better than) any men’s team and deserved the same respect. As a result, Selvig created opportunities to empower his players, regardless of gender or race. His encouragement, stability and instruction created an atmosphere that both challenged and supported several generations of young women.

He gave them an equal chance to succeed and it left an impact on them.

Admittedly however, the doc would benefit from a little more information regarding what Selvig learned himself from the experience of coaching these young women. While we hear numerous testimonials about what the girls took away from their time with Selvig, we do not hear as much regarding what he took away from his experience with them. Though The House does address some of his personal issues, it could benefit from some conversations surrounding how his understanding of gender has changed by working with these young women over the course of his career. In other words, though we see that he impacted them, it would benefit the doc if we knew a little more about how they impacted him.

Even so, despite these concerns, The House that Rob Built is a testament to the amazing influence that one person can have when they care for others. Though Selvig had every right to look for greater fame, his love for the team and desire to see them grow and mature speaks of the quality of his character. Without question, Selvig made his House into a home.

The House that Rob Built is available on VOD on Tuesday, February 23, 2021