In his King’s Court documentary review, Kevin Bourne calls it “beautiful”, “visually stunning”, and “another reason to get excited about filmmaking in Toronto”.
“When I was young, I was frustrated. I was angry. You wanna know why? Because I wanted to be heard. But I hear myself now.”
The world of cinema is typically dominated by big blockbuster films with billion dollar budgets, but there are a number of independent films and filmmakers who fly under the radar everyday, especially in Canada. That’s beginning to change with a growing crop of local filmmakers telling both Black and inner city stories set in Toronto. Yup, gone are the days when Toronto only served as a stand-in for New York City. Now, it’s Toronto’s time in the spotlight.
One of the films we recently came across was King’s Court, a coming-of-age documentary that captures the realities of inner city life in Toronto. Set in the Bleecker neighbourhood in downtown, the film follows SK and Marley, two friends and aspiring hoopers as they navigate life in the hood. The film is truthful in documenting the paranoia, loss, financial hardships, and fatherlessness faced by many who live in inner city neighhourhoods. As a result they face the pressure to be provider and man of the house at a young age.
“I’m the man of the house, bro, and I’m the baby. You know how that feels sometimes? I need that protection sometimes, too. But I had to be the protector, and sometimes, I didn’t get that protection…When my back was against the wall, and I’m going through shit, and I needed my pop, I didn’t have him. I fathered myself.” – Marley
But as the two engage in intimate conversations about their dreams, visions and aspirations, it’s clear that this is not a “woe is me” kind of story. Sometimes our surroundings have a way of not allowing us to see beyond them, but that’s not the case in this film. The two friends show that it’s possible to love for your neighbourhood, while having aspirations beyond it..
“When I was a kid, I’m not gonna lie, I really wanted to go to the NBA, go league, be rich, be famous. But when I got older, all I wanted was peace. I think eventually, I want to grow up, have my family, take my mom straight, taken care of her. I’ll have enough money where I’m comfy. I don’t have to stress too much. Everybody’s good. That would be my dream.” -SK
While we typically, think about films with grand, epic adventures when we talking about “coming-of-age”, SK and Marley have experienced a lot in their relatively short lives after being forced to grow up quickly.
“You can’t rush growing up. You can’t just say, ‘Oh, one day, I’m a man. I feel slowly, through hardships and great things that happen, you transition into a man.”
WATCH KING’S COURT
The creative decisions made by director and writer, Serville Poblete, in telling this story were very well executed. While it’s a documentary, at times you feel as though you’re watching a scripted feature film, and at others you feel as though you’re watching a piece of art. This can be attributed to visually stunning cinematography from Christian Bielz, including dramatic drone shots of Bleecker. The film can only be described as beautiful. Meanwhile, the basketball sequences are both cinematic and dynamic with the feel of a Hollywood action film at times. The cinematography is complimented with exceptional editing from Sabrina Budiman and VFX from Miguel Fernandes. This is a depiction of Toronto that we haven’t seem before and lends to the story not being hopeless and grim. We see a beauty in the midst of subject matters that aren’t always beautiful.
Unlike other films about the hood, this isn’t a story about grit, determination, or the hustle. While it’s partly about community, it’s really a celebration of brotherhood and love between friends, something we don’t see a lot of on screen between young Black men, and the role these relationships play in helping us navigate the challenges of life.
The film concludes with a sense of optimism and hope, as the two friends aren’t depicted as victims of their environment. They have basketball, their families, their dreams, and each other. They’ve also realized SK’s dream; not basketball, but peace, as well as freedom, not from the outside, but from within.
“I feel like Bleecker, it makes you dream, ’cause if you get so caught up in the reality, you might get caught up in it, or lose yourself in it. So you gotta know how to dream and rise above.”
In the end, King’s Court is another reason to get excited about filmmaking in Toronto. This is a film for the city to be proud of, as well as a film that wider audiences can look at to get a glimpse into an aspect of life in Toronto. It’s also a reason to get excited about Serville Poblete, as the TIFF Series Accelerator album continues to establish himself among the current ranks of young Toronto filmmakers. With this level of storytelling and filmmaking under his belt, Poblete is definitely a director to watch.
To watch King’s Court see the embed video above or visit the National Film Board website at nfb.ca.
Kevin Bourne is SHIFTER’s Toronto-based editor and Senior Entertainment Reporter focusing on Black music and film & TV. He was named one of 340 international voters for the 81st and 8nd Golden Globe Awards and a Tomatometer-Approved Critic by Rotten Tomatoes.
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