Through The Fire: Sebastian Telfair's Defining Year (2005)

Hovering around the edges of this well-made, if middling, documentary tracking Sebastian Telfair's transformation from New York City high school basketball superstar to being drafted by the Portland Trail Blazers are some fascinating insights into how the game has changed since Hoop Dreams' masterful look at the trials and tribulations of NBA-striving teens in the early '90s. As NBA scouts take increasing interest in Telfair throughout his senior year, the accoutrements of big-money sports are unfurled -- from the University of Louisville's deluxe player dorm to sneaker and sponsorship deals (companies court high school freshmen) to ESPN interviews and Sports Illustrated photo shoots -- proving that, if high school kids are savvier about realizing their pro ball dreams, corporate marketers have gotten even better at exploiting them. Telfair's brother Jamel Thomas has fashioned a media personality for Sebastian, based on Tiger Woods, of a smiling clean-cut All-American, but Sebastian -- with his charismatic, laid-back confidence -- seems to have built his own persona along the lines of Jay-Z, who frequently shows up at his high school games. The increasingly lucrative trappings of Telfair's celebrity coupled with commentary from street-ball old-timers hanging out on the courts, provides the most interesting insights into the highs and lows of pro ball dreams. Director and producer Jonathan Hock calls Telfair the film's hero, and the film in title and general structure tries to mimic a hero's journey. The hard work that the Telfair family has put in to escape poverty is certainly uplifting, and the film is a worthwhile document of a real-life rags-to-riches story. But Sebastian is so ridiculously talented that he succeeds with ease, and we never get the sense that he has gone "through the fire" to reach his goals. ~ Michael Buening, All Movie Guide