10 Movies Like Rez Ball You Must See

‘Rez Ball’ is a captivating sports drama directed by Navajo filmmaker Sydney Freeland. It is based on the celebrated non-fiction book ‘Canyon Dreams: A Basketball Season on the Navajo Reservation’ by The New York Times journalist Michael Powell. The film centers on a Native American high school basketball team, the Chuska Warriors, from New Mexico, who resort to their native roots in the wake of their best player’s passing to keep their championship dream alive.

An underdog story with themes of unity and resilience, ‘Rez Ball’ is a must-watch sports movie deeply rooted in the Native American spirit and culture. Produced by basketball legend LeBron James, the film stars Jessica Matten, Julia Jones, Amber Midthunder, Kiowa Gordon, and Dallas Goldtooth. If you are into sports dramas that carry the underdog theme or are interested in films that showcase the Native American culture or that of other communities through sports or otherwise, here are movies similar to ‘Rez Ball’ that will pique your interest.

10. Four Sheets to the Wind (2007)

Helmed by Sterlin Harjo in his directorial debut, ‘Four Sheets to the Wind’ follows a young Native named Cufe Smallhill (Cody Lightning) who is struggling with his father’s death. Conflicted with guilt and obligation to his mother, he escapes his rural home in Oklahoma and arrives in Tulsa, where his sister, Miri (Tamara Podemski), lives and works.

How this step liberates him, as he falls in love and realizes the limitless possibilities that life offers, is what we find out in this profoundly personal drama. What connects this film with ‘Rez Ball’ is the death of a loved one and how it affects people, underscored by Native American elements. ‘Four Sheets to the Wind’ won the Special Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival and two awards at the American Indian Film Festival.

9. Tiger Eyes (2012)

Based on the 1981 young adult novel by Judy Blume, ‘Tiger Eyes’ is directed by Lawrence Blume. It mirrors the theme of connecting to the roots in the aftermath of personal loss to overcome the pain. The film follows a 17-year-old girl named Davey (Willa Holland) who temporarily relocates to Los Alamos, New Mexico, where her relatives are, after her father is killed in a robbery. While struggling to cope with the inner turmoil, she meets an older Native American guy named Wolf (Tatanka Means), who helps her return from the edge and regain the strength to conquer her fears and carry on.

8. Smoke Signals (1998)

A coming-of-age drama by Chris Eyre, ‘Smoke Signals’ is based on Sherman Alexie’s short story collection The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven (1993). The film follows two Native American guys, Thomas and Victor, who live on the Coeur d’Alene Indian Reservation in Plummer, Idaho. As a kid, Thomas was saved by Victor’s father, Arnold, from a fire that killed Thomas’ parents. Years later, the two guys embark on an adventure to retrieve Arnold’s ashes.

While Thomas looked up to Arnold as a hero, the latter’s alcoholism and violent nature distanced him from Victor. This difference adds to their arguments. However, the cross-country adventure heals the boys in their own ways, on top of them helping each other cope with the absence of a loved one. What connects ‘Smoke Signal’ to ‘Rez Ball,’ besides the strong presence of Native American culture, is how people help each other cope with loss. In the latter film, Jimmy helps Nataanii cope with the deaths of his mother and sister who are killed.

7. Friday Night Lights (2004)

In an interview with Collider, ‘Rez Ball’ director Sydney Freeland stated, “The initial concept of the film, we always talked about it as a sort of Friday Night Lights with basketball and Natives. That’s the brief summary for it.” So clearly, the Peter Berg directorial was a direct inspiration for the film. It is inspired by the true story of the 1988 Permian High School Panthers football team as told by H. G. Bissinger in his non-fiction book ‘Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, and a Dream.’

The plot follows new coach Gary Gaines (Billy Bob Thornton), who has to up the enthusiasm and the self-confidence of the Permian High School football team after their star player Boobie Miles (Derek Luke) is seriously injured. This is similar to the Chuska Warriors in ‘Rez Ball,’ who, too, try to keep their hopes for the championship alive after losing their best player.

6. Running Brave (1983)

‘Running Brave’ is a biographical sports drama directed by Donald Shebib. It tells the story of track and field athlete William Mervin Mills, AKA Billy Mills (Native American name- Tamakhóčhe Theȟíla), and how he fought overwhelming odds to make it into the American running team for the Olympics, eventually bringing home the gold medal after winning the 10,000-meter race at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. He is, till now, the only American to have won gold in the segment. Robbie Benson plays the role of Billy Mills in the film. What connects ‘Running Brave’ with ‘Rez Ball’ is the Native American roots that both share. Also, there is the perseverance and resilience that take the team/sportsman beyond the impossible.

5. Crooked Arrows (2012)

Steve Rash’s ‘Crooked Arrows’ perhaps shares more with ‘Rez Ball’ than any other film in this list. It follows a mixed-blood Native American man, Joe Logan (Brandon Routh), who takes up the mammoth task of coaching his reservation’s high-school lacrosse team against the elite Prep School League. The aim is to modernize the reservation, for which Logan needs the permission of his father (Gil Birmingham), who is the tribal chairman and will give his nod only after his son proves himself.

How Logan instills in the players tribal pride and the importance of acknowledging one’s roots, all of which help the team succeed, is what we see in this sports drama. Like the lacrosse team in ‘Crooked Arrows,’ the Chuska Warriors in ‘Rez Ball’ also connect to their roots to be better versions of themselves and claim the game. Interestingly, the origins of lacrosse date back to the Indigenous people of North America in the 12th century.

4. Indian Horse (2017)

An adaptation of Richard Wagamese’s novel, ‘Indian Horse,’ is directed by Stephen S. Campanelli. It follows Saul Indian Horse, a young First Nations boy from Canada, who is taken from his Ojibwe family and put in a residential school in Ontario at the mercy of ruthless teachers. However, his love for ice hockey (Canada’s national game) lets him vent out his horrors of oppression. ‘Indian Horse’ connects to ‘Rez Ball’ via a love for the sport whose power works as a transcendental force, underscored by the Native American spirit.

3. The Grizzlies (2018)

Miranda de Pencier’s ‘The Grizzlies’ is based on a true story. It is set in the small Arctic town of Kugluktuk, Nunavut, which is struggling with suicides. Amidst the traumatizing situation, Russ Sheppard (Ben Schnetzer), a teacher, introduces his Inuit students to lacrosse to imbibe in them a sense of purpose and belonging. However, the dignity of the students and what Russ learns from them, as showcased in the film, keep it from becoming another White-Savior sports drama. This give-and-take between the students and the teacher set against an overwhelming emotional backdrop makes it similar to the theme of ‘Rez Ball.’

2. Edge of America (2004)

Chris Eyre’s ‘Edge of America’ follows an African-American teacher, Kenny Williams (James McDaniel), who is transferred to a Rez school in Utah. He agrees, albeit reluctantly, to coach the girls’ basketball team but faces many issues due to the differences in their cultures. While Williams learns the Native traditions, the girls cope with his sense of authority, which is much different than the one seen in their Native culture. Together, the coach and the girls overcome their differences to claim success. The film explores the racial conflict that is also addressed in ‘Rez Ball,’ although in ‘Edge of America,’ it is between the teacher and the students, while in the former, it is between one team of students and the other.

1. Remember the Titans (2000)

A biographical sports drama directed by Boaz Yakin, ‘Remember the Titans’ is a biographical sports drama based loosely on the life of African-American football coach Herman Boone (Denzel Washington). The plot shows how Boone coached the newly racially integrated T.C. Williams High School football team in Alexandria in 1971. How he, along with his defensive coordinator Bill Yoast, takes the team beyond its racial divide and to the state championships. A true-to-form sports drama about the significance of unity and the human spirit, ‘Remember the Titans’ shares its core message with ‘Rez Ball’ about sports bridging differences and bringing about a sense of purpose.