EDGE OF AMERICA (TV)
Summary
This independent film, based loosely on real events, tells the story of a black schoolteacher who travels to the Three Nations Consolidated Reservation in Utah and becomes a girls' basketball coach. The story begins as Kenny Williams drives from his home state Texas to Utah and eventually arrives at Three Nations High School to teach English. The students and even the principal, Homer Horton, seem taken aback at his race, but when his car breaks down, he is aided by fellow teacher Annie Shorty. His students, particular Carla and Franklin, are rude and disinterested in the lesson, and Annie points out that most of them have never met a black person before. Homer suggests that Kenny should coach the girls' lackluster basketball team, as he used to play the sport himself, but he dismisses the stereotypical idea. He soon makes friends with the local mechanic, Cuch, who offers to forgive his bill if Kenny watches out for his niece in school. His students remain apathetic about his lessons on letter-writing, however, and when Kenny visits a bar, he is surprised to learn that the reservation is technically dry. He asks the young bartender, Shirleen, about joining the basketball team, but she says her grades are insufficient and the team is terrible anyway. Elsewhere, Carla spends time alone with Franklin and deals with her drunken widower father, Leroy.
Kenny suffers a concussion when he gets into a car accident and is stuck at home for several days, bored. He decides to coach the team after all and convinces Shirleen to join in by promising to help her get into college, and Cuch assures him that he can fix his mangled car. The girls lose their first game badly, though Kenny notices that Carla has some untapped talent. When he discovers student deejay Dwayne mocking the girls' team, he brings his class into the studio and tells them that they will tell their stories on air for a grade rather than writing them. The athletic Alvina "Baby" Tsosie returns to school and joins the team as well, and Kenny gives the girls a contract demanding good behavior and decent grades. As Cuch works on his car, Kenny gets a ride from Carla and invites her to play ball with him against some strangers, but when she asks to join the team, he orders her to improve her schoolwork first. Kenny is forceful at practice and Annie calls him out on it, saying that he does not understand Indian principles of harmony and unity. At the next game, he urges the girls to work together, and their skills improve. Baby's traditional mother forces her to miss school in order to work, and Carla fights with her father and with Franklin as her interest in basketball begins to conflict with the rest of her life.
When Christmas comes, Kenny exchanges gifts with some of his students, and when Carla reveals that she is now receiving As, he welcomes her onto the team. Cuch presents Kenny with his newly-repaired car, and Dwayne records Mother Tsosie as she weaves an intricate blanket, explaining the tradition behind the art. The girls win their next game, but Kenny is angry at their disregard for his instructions, stressing the importance of teamwork. Carla defends Kenny when the other girls criticize him and is upset when Franklin vandalizes his car. Late at night, several of the girls arrive at Kenny's trailer for an impromptu "party," symbolically defending their coach when Franklin shows up to threaten him. The team is excited to receive new uniforms, but they lose their next game against a rich white team thanks to the referees' unfair calls, and Kenny gets into a shouting match with a local man who makes racist comments. Homer tells Kenny to write a formal apology, but Kenny refuses, pointing out that Homer too made offensive assumptions about him. He tells Annie about experiencing racism back in Texas and refuses to back down, but Cuch, having mended his car again, tells Kenny about his own experiences with prejudice. He says that he is "at the center of two worlds" and urges him to put his pride aside for the girls' sake, and Kenny eventually writes the apology. Later, the girls need one more win to make it to the state championship in Salt Lake City, and Mother Tsosie performs a healing ceremony with cedar in the locker room to help them win. Kenny is dismissive of the tradition, and Annie scolds him for offending the tribal elder. Franklin confronts Kenny again, mocking his need to be "protected" by the girls. Kenny is further upset to learn that Shirleen has fallen pregnant and Baby's mother has pulled her out of school, and he visits Mother Tsosie to apologize. She continues weaving as she tells him that it is the women's responsibility to protect the culture's traditions, but he argues that school and sports have benefits as well, and Baby soon returns to school and the team.
Leroy and Franklin attempt to attend the decisive game to support Carla, but are pulled over for drinking in the car. The girls are victorious and everyone is thrilled, and when Carla picks up her father at the police station, Kenny helps Franklin, who has no family. He calls him out for his "hip-hop attitude" and tells him about the accidental death of a white man who showed him kindness, saying that those of other races are not always enemies, and Franklin signals his acceptance by doing Kenny a favor as well. The team travels by bus to Salt Lake City and Kenny urges them to be "relentless" against the strong opposing team, but they call a team meeting and declare that he has broken their contract by being too harsh. Annie points out that he is unfairly taking out his personal race issues on the team, and he reconsiders, bringing Shirleen back to the team as manager. Leroy watches and Mother Tsosie listens anxiously as the final game winds down, and the girls vow to work together to win. Kenny explains his final play, but Carla's game-winning shot narrowly misses the basket, and the team loses the championship. On the way home, Kenny apologizes to them, saying that the loss is his fault, but they assure him that they still feel victorious despite the score. As they arrive back at the reservation, the entire town comes out to cheer them, and Mother Tsosie gifts Kenny with the blanket, which depicts him alongside the girls.
Details
- NETWORK: Showtime
- DATE: November 21, 2005 8:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 1:50:00
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: B:88685
- GENRE: Drama
- SUBJECT HEADING: Drama; Teachers; Race relations; Indigenous Peoples Collection
- SERIES RUN: Showtime - TV, 2005
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Tim Daly … Executive Producer
- Steve Burleigh … Executive Producer
- Chris Eyre … Producer, Director
- Willy Holtzman … Producer, Writer
- Robert F. Phillips … Line Producer
- BC Smith … Music by
- James McDaniel … Cast, Kenny Williams
- Irene Bedard … Cast, Annie Shorty
- Delanna Studi … Cast, Carla McKinney
- Misty Upham … Cast, Shirleen
- Eddie Spears … Cast, Franklin
- Cody Lightning … Cast, Dwayne
- Geraldine Keams … Cast, Mother Tsosie
- Michael Flynn … Cast, Homer Horton
- Trini King … Cast, Alvina 'Baby' Tsosie
- Deanna Allison … Cast, Marissa
- Fraya Aspaas-Montoya … Cast, Francie
- Tim Daly … Cast, Leroy McKinney
- Wes Studi … Cast, Cuch
- Reb Flemming … Cast, Stellar Dodge
- Lyle Bahazhoni … Cast, Jasper
- Roseann Abrahamson … Cast, Henrietta
- Jacinda Willeto … Cast, Dawn
- Steve Burleigh … Cast, Dr. Toomey
- Roy J. Cohoe … Cast, Old Indian Man #1
- Kelly Ray Vallo … Cast, Raylene
- Charles Gruber … Cast, Norville Newell
- Candice Miller … Cast, Lanet Newell
- Jesse Harward … Cast, Red
- Roger Willie … Cast, Leonard
- Kent King … Cast, Ref
- Dave Fox … Cast, Bryce McKay
- Chris Jensen … Cast, Referee/Dale
- Don Re Sampson … Cast, N. Ogden High Coach
- Brayden McCurdy … Cast, Annie's Nephew