Edge of America (2003) (TV)

Director:

Chris Eyre

Writer (WGA):

Willy Holtzman (written by)

Release Date:

10 December 2003 (Netherlands)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

Based on a true story, a black educator takes a job teaching high-school English at the Three Nations Reservation, and is coaxed into coaching the girls basketball team. |

Plot Keywords:

High School | Basketball | Native American

Awards:

5 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

James McDaniel	...	Kenny Williams
Irene Bedard	...	Annie Shorty
Delanna Studi	...	Carla McKinney
Misty Upham	...	Shirleen
Eddie Spears	...	Franklin
Cody Lightning	...	Dwayne
Geraldine Keams	...	Mother Tsosie
Michael Flynn	...	Homer Horton
Fraya Aspaas-Montoya	...	Francie
Trini King	...	Alvina 'Baby' Tsosie
Deanna Taushi Allison	...	Marissa (as Deanna Allison)
Tim Daly	...	Leroy McKinney
Wes Studi	...	Cuch
Reb Fleming	...	Stellar Dodge (as Reb Flemming)
Lyle Bahazoni	...	Jasper

Also Known As:

On the Edge (Europe: English title)

Runtime:

USA:105 min (Sundance Film Festival)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Australia:PG

Filming Locations:

Salt Lake City, Utah, USA

Company:

Showtime

Goofs:

Continuity: In the radio room when Mr. Williams comes in Dwayne switches off the radio on one board. Then a few moments later after Mr. Williams comes back with the class you can see Dwayne using the same board for music. Yet later, after Mr. Williams gets the class to agree to his idea, Dwayne uses the wrong board, the one on his other side, to turn the radio back on.

Quotes:

Kenny Williams: Okay Cuch, why'd you bring me all the way up here?
Cuch: You're standing at the center of two worlds.
Kenny Williams: Yeah, well, I thought I left that other world behind.
Cuch: Well don't look through their eyes, look through your eyes. From here you can see forever - the past, the present, the future. See, the Creator scattered us to the four winds so we could prove that we're human by finding our way home.
Kenny Williams: Well, always trying to find your way home can make a man crazy.
Cuch: Hmmh, sometimes you have to go all the way around the world to find your way, and sometimes you've got to put pride aside to get there. Me, I'm home.
Kenny Williams: This is like, what, a sacred site or something?
Cuch: This?
[chuckles]
Cuch: This is just a big rock.
[...]

A Black White Man on the Rez

An above-average TV movie that avoids the pitfalls of cliche.

This movie began airing as "On The Edge" on the Dutch Hallmark Channel in December 2003. It's a solid piece of work on all levels, well above average for family-oriented TV movies. James McDaniel performs with typical power as Kenny Williams, a racially aggrieved black schoolteacher and basketball coach who has relocated from his home in Texas to the Three Nations Reservation in Utah. There the coach takes over the hapless girls' basketball team. Predictable culture clashes, high-school social conflicts, family tensions, and athletic drama unfold from there. But the story remains relatively spare, relying on believable characterization rather than its timeworn plot elements to carry the film. Williams' struggle to adapt to, and find acceptance in, his new community dominates the story. At one point, not long after a parent from a nearby white high school has all but called Williams a "nigger," the mother of a girl on the team dismisses him as a "white man."

It's surprisingly compelling material, but it means that the Native American community drops into the background despite the able performances of a large cast. This is a movie about a black coach in a Native American community, not a movie about a Native American community with a black coach. The latter would have been a more compelling story. The very similar "Stand And Deliver" devotes more attention to the students in the story and is a better movie for it.

The movie is beautifully shot. Interior scenes convey a feeling of authenticity with their lived-in-ness, and the exterior shots do justice to the majestic landscapes of the American West. Also, the soundtrack features several new recordings by singer/ songwriter Annie Humphrey. "Edge of America" and "Good Medicine" might be her best work to date.

Thankfully, the new coach is not able to turn his team into state champions overnight with a motivational speech at the end of the first act. Instead, we see Williams repeatedly making mistakes and struggling to learn from them for the sake of his own pride and the team's progress. His relationship with the girls on the team is complicated by their appreciation of his efforts and their frustration at his shortcomings. The story concludes with a satisfyingly low-key scene of homecoming for the team and their coach that steers clear of either the triumphalism or mawkish melodrama that mar most sports dramas.