HIGH FLYING BIRD
US, 2019, 90 minutes, Colour.
Andre Holland, Melvin Gregg, Faarah Bala, Zazie Beetz, Bill Duke, Zachary Pinto, Kyle Mac Lachlan.
Directed by Stephen Soderbergh.
For over 30 years, Steven Soderbergh has been a significant director, director of photography, pioneer in techniques and craft. He won the Palme D’Or? in Cannes in 1989 for Sex, Lies and Videotape. He also serves as his own director of photography, under a pseudonym.
His range of subjects has been wide, for instance in 2000 directing both Traffic and Erin Brockovich, winning the Oscar for Best Director for Traffic. He also moved into television, allegedly giving up movies. However, he began to experiment with different cameras, making films with a phone camera, including Unsane and this film.
The subject is professional baseball in the United States, a strike by players, the attitudes of the financial bosses, negotiations by agents. There are no professional basketball scenes in the whole film – only a short sequence of two star players and some of their manoeuvres in front of a school group.
Andre Holland plays an agent, a shrewd man, dealing with all the authorities, trying to deal with a temperamental, and less than alert, champion player, Melvin Gregg. He has a long relationship with a basketball coach, played by Bill Duke.
American audiences may be more interested than international audiences because of the immediacy of basketball and the NBA. However, the negotiations, the dealings, the ambitions, financial influence, television and Netflix rights… may intrigue international viewers given their own sports and negotiations.
1. The world of the NBA, American basketball, players, competition, lockout, business background, negotiations?
2. The Bronx setting, New York City, modern, skyscrapers of glass, offices, the streets, atmosphere?
3. The title, images of basketballers?
4. The insertion of black-and-white interviews with players, their selection, the reflections, their ambitions, play? Anchoring the fictional story in the reality of the players?
5. Ray and his story, his background in Mississippi, basketball, relations, competitiveness? His skill as an agent? Plans, shrewdness? Sam as his assistant, ignoring her, working with her, her moving on, his support? His interviewing Eric Scott, the meal, the audience understanding some of the issues, the players, the lockout, contracts? Scott and his understanding of situations or not? Ray giving him the book – and Sam finally opening it, the story of Black sports heroes?
6. Ray, the office, the interview with Dave, the possibility of his losing his job? His rudeness, understanding of the situation, taking a cut in his own salary, keeping the players on contract?
7. Going to Philadelphia, the interview with the mother of the player, her shrewdness? Emphasis on prayer, yet the prayer for success? The consequences for him?
8. Sam, her ambitions, her work, discussions with the players union representative? Meeting with Eric, the sexual liaison? Continuing to support him, her future career?
9. The executive, David, going to Australia, his plane, returning, meeting with Ray the sauna, Ray explaining his view of the situation? David returning, the discussions about business, Netflix, competition and bookings? Ray and his success, the discussion with Dave and Ray moving up, the better office?
10. The episode with Spence, Spence and his career, training the youngsters, hard on them? Friendship with Ray? Ray bringing Eric to talk to the young players, Eric late, Spence urging Ray to talk, telling his story? Introducing Eric?
11. The player from Philadelphia and his mother, arriving, the rivalry on social media, the challenge, the youngsters watching, the play, the interruption? The match being photographed, on social media, the number of those watching – and a cogent argument for the managers to make a decision, and the lockout?
12. A basketball film without much basketball at all, a look behind the scenes?
13. Continuity with the work by Steven Soderbergh – his being director of photography, and using the phone camera to make a feature film?
