ELEVATE
Rating: Rated PG for brief mild language
Studio: ESPN Films
MSRP: $29.95, but Amazon has it for $21.99.
Running Time: 81 minutes
What’s Going On?
A basketball documentary about the S.E.E.D.S. Academy, a school that helps young men from Senegal Africa develop their basketball skills and get them prepared for an American education. It details the stories of four young boys and their trials and tribulations when they eventually get to America.
If You Like…:
Sports documentaries. This is a film that serves as a love letter to basketball while detailing one way in which a group of people are trying to make a difference on the game. The four boys in the story are all very different and each of the stories are equally compelling in their own way.
Special Features:
Only a theatrical trailer.
The Technical Gist
The documentary isn’t of the sharpest quality, but it has a nice visual style to it.
The Verdict
ELEVATE is a solid documentary that tells an uplifting tale about how sports can be used as a tool to help improve one’s life. That improvement doesn’t have to come from the fame and fortune of the NBA, though, it can come from simply being given the opportunity for a better life, something that so many of the boys from Senegal are trying to achieve. Basketball fans owe it to themselves to learn about The S.E.E.D.S. Academy and it’s mission with helping young men cultivate their skills into something they can make a life out of outside of Africa. It is a little pricey right now, but it is available to QUEUE and I highly recommend doing so.
