Welcome to POV.
I'm Pete Schwaba, host of PBS Wisconsin's Director's Cut.
Tonight, we bring you a film that's been called
' Hoop Dreams on the baseball diamond.'
The film is called The Last Out
and the comparisons
to the award-winning basketball film are valid,
as both films focus on driven young athletes,
their hopes, and heartbreaks.
Baseball is considered America's favorite pastime.
In Cuba, baseball is not only incredibly popular,
it's part of the country's identity.
The game itself inspires thoughts of ice cold beer,
hot dogs, and family outings.
The Last Out shows a darker side of the game
as three young men from Cuba--
Victor, Happy, and Carlos--
pursue the dream of making a living
playing this child's game.
If just being good at the game of baseball
wasn't difficult enough,
in trying to reach the Major Leagues,
the film explores the undercurrent of politics
that these players face,
having to defect from their homeland
for even a shot at MLB.
They soon learn that
there is a game behind the game
where it comes down, not just to a player's talent
but to those who profit from the talents of others,
often times at the player's expense.
But these dedicated athletes press on,
despite the risks of falling short of their dreams
and finding a better life for their families
and risking exile from their homeland.
The Last Out was an ambitious project from the get-go.
Directors Sami Khan and Michael Gassert
followed their subjects to Cuba, Costa Rica, Nicaragua,
Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico,
and the Dominican Republic.
Using a vérité style, the filmmakers give viewers
a remarkably candid look at their struggles,
both on and off the diamond.
The project started in 2014 with Khan and Gassert
having aspirations of telling a hopeful story,
but as the shooting journey progressed,
the directors had to adjust their narrative
just like the three ball players they filmed.
The directors are an interesting pairing.
Khan is Oscar nominated for his short film St. Louis Superman.
For Gassert, this is his directorial debut
after a long career paying his dues in sound and sound mixing.
Pretty exciting when someone
finally gets a shot at the majors!
Come on, I think I'm allowed one baseball reference.
The Last Out starts now on PBS Wisconsin,
your home for independent film.