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No, the real fierce competition here is between everything distinctive and everything formulaic about this movie.
The film is set on a reservation in New Mexico.
The sport offers distraction and maybe some semblance of hope for a struggling community.
This is an all too common occurrence here, as we gather from various insert shots of roadside memorials.
Early into the film, fresh tragedy rocks the Warriors.
Shattered by loss, the team is also knocked off its game.
It was a book about basketball, yes, but also about the generational trauma of Indigenous Americans.
Thats certainly an element ofRez Ball, which devises a fictional tapestry of conflicts from Powells source material.
The characters struggle with sobriety is among a few subplots designed to paint a sobering picture of reservation life.
Other elements of the movie are more archetypal.
You know the drill, the tough-love language of athletic mentors.
Think this hometown hero will make peace with her homecoming?
The Warriors have to get in touch with tradition to get their mojo back.
But its not a blowout; the more singular side of the film keeps it close enough.
