Ondene, a mixed-race girl, has been taken away from her urban life by her ambitious barrister mother, Hyacinth, who believes that living in a safe area, with private education is the gateway to success. The pressures of her success are so intense that her mother has forced her to quit her two major pastimes, gymnastics and netball to focus completely on her studies. Leon, on the other hand, lives a poverty stricken life, where his father, with a low paid job, is constantly being chased by bailiffs. His life is dedicated by playing Freestyle, a variation of basketball. This takes place in a court that is overlooked by Ondene’s school, where she witnesses the activities on a daily basis, along with her best friend, Abigail. They finally decide to venture onto the court, where Ondene shows her net-scoring prowess, which impresses not only Leon, but also scouts that are seeking recruits for the forthcoming Freestyle championships, with prize money of £15k on offer and she is talked into entering, despite having never played that particular discipline, for which Leon offers to coach her. However, he doesn’t see too much of a future in Freestyle, hence unknown to all his friends, he is studying for his A-Levels via a correspondence course in the hope of going to university to study to become a sports journalist, which as the story progresses, is revealed to Ondene. He also eyes the cash prize as he wants to use that to finance his university studies. During the coaching period, a romance blossoms, but obstacles have to be negotiated, notably Hyacinth, who believes that Leon is not good enough for Ondene and Leon’s friends, who resent Ondene’s intrusion into their world. Although I saw the film a week ago at a special screening, it was interesting to gauge the views of others that shared the experience, notably the youths with whom I am working at the moment. My view of the story is that it is a welcome departure of the usual sex, drugs and violence normally associated with depictions of urban life, especially where the emphasis is on Black youths. It is a lovely piece of escapism, definitely based on the Hollywood model, where it all ends happily ever after. Its weakness, however is that the viewer has to assume the attraction, where funnily enough, a woman the same age as myself, said that she could see what Ondene was getting out of the relationship, but not what Leon had to gain. It would have helped the story, if they had spent more time on Leon explaining his need to gain a better education and also focussed more on what set him apart from his contemporaries. Also the end was very weak. A different outcome that doesn’t necessarily mean an unhappy ending would have been better. The cast was a mix of established actors and rookies, which in most cases showed, but then again everyone has to start somewhere. On the whole, it was a credible attempt at portraying urban life from an alternative view and hopefully this could pioneer more films that show the normality of that area of society. It can be enjoyed by families due to its chaste approach. There was not a widespread distribution, hence it had a limited run in certain cinemas, but it is available on DVD, a nice present for youngsters. © K Payne 2010
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