- Welcome to Independent Lens .
I'm Pete Schwaba, host of Wisconsin Public Television's
Director's Cut .
Many of you probably remember the great 90's film Hoop Dreams .
Tonight's film, Wrestle is a similar coming of age tale
about four boys on Huntsville Alabama's
J.O. Johnson High School wrestling team,
who face real life challenges
that far outweigh what they face on the mat.
Despite their tender ages, they are dealing with issues
such as drug use, pregnancy,
run-ins with the law, and segregation
that threaten to crush any opportunities
the sport they love and excel at might offer.
The boys are mentored by a coach who pushes them to achieve
while also dealing with his own past.
Director Suzannah Herbert and co-director Lauren Belfer
shot over 650 hours of footage
during the course of the team's final season.
Having that much material to draw from
allowed them to give viewers
an up-close and intimate look
at what life for these four student athletes is like,
in the home and in the halls of their high school.
Herbert says the perspective she and Belfer
were able to bring as women filmmakers
was unique in showing the lives of their characters
and how they struggle with class and race,
adding that they were able to
show a more sensitive side, as well.
A side that all too often,
teenage boys are taught to ignore.
Wrestle starts now on Wisconsin Public Television
your home for independent film.