While Netflix is full of more star-studded action movies and true crime documentaries than you’ll be able to watch in a lifetime, the streaming service also produces some genuinely heartfelt and impactful films as well. The latest example is Rez Ball, a new sports drama directed by Sydney Freeland, who co-wrote the script with Sterlin Harjo.
“In the heart of Chuska, New Mexico, the Chuska Warriors, a high school basketball team with a rich Native American heritage, faces its greatest challenge yet,” reads the synopsis. “After losing their star player, the rest of the team must come together more than ever to realize their dream of winning a state championship. This is more than just a sport, it’s a journey of resilience and unity, a true story of struggle that is deeply rooted in Native American culture.”
The movie is inspired by Michael Powell’s 2019 non-fiction book Canyon Dreams: A Basketball Season on the Navajo Nation.
After premiering on Netflix last week, the movie has crept into the top 10 charts, one of just two Netflix originals with that distinction at the time of writing. Rez Ball has also been a huge hit with seemingly everyone who has taken the time to watch it, reaching scores of 92% with critics and 87% with audiences on Rotten Tomatoes.
Sterlin Harjo is best known for co-creating FX’s Reservation Dogs with Taika Waititi. Meanwhile, Freeland has directed a number of popular shows in recent years, including Marvel’s Echo, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, and also Reservation Dogs.
“For us, this film is an invitation to see a side of America — a community — that [everyone] may not be familiar with,” Freeland told Netflix’s Tudum. “But for myself, for these kids, for the cast, for the crew, this is something that we’ve lived and breathed our whole lives.”
