38 at the Garden

I've heard of Jeremy Lin but I'm not a sports fan so I've never seen him play. It's amazing to see his talent and grace under pressure as a ground breaker. Jeremy had to kick the door down to play, just like Black players had to "break the color line" in the 50s to join the NBA. It shows how POC have to fight to access certain spaces. This film shows Lin's impact and why representation matters not just for the Asian American community but for us all. It's also fun to watch him dominate some of the NBA's elite players. I want to check out some of his games online. The filmmakers also spent time to highlight the rise in violence, hate crimes, and terrorism of the Asian community. This is such an important topic. Bravo for using this moment to educate and spread awareness!

Excellent documentary on an inspiring moment in history, all the hard work that led up to it, and how it fits into the context of the Asian American experience today. A moment in history when everyone was caught up watching an underdog succeed in defeating the titans of the game.

Great mix of interviews of fellow players and fans of the NBA along with animation segments to dramatize key moments. Here is an athlete who played at the top of his game while still managing to be a decent human being, imagine that, sometimes rare in professional sports. Should be necessary viewing for all the kids out there looking for motivation and inspiration in pursuing their dreams and ambitions against all odds.

Short Review!

Sorry, had to make this much longer in order to post here.

This is Really, interesting in the inspirational sense.

As an FYI- There is 1 hour (ie deep not a soundbite) podcast interview with producer Travon Free available Larry Wilmore Black on the Air 19 Oct 2022.

It is over an hour so not a simple soudbyte, but a deep conversation about why and how this was /is so important culturally speaking.

It really stimulated conversation with the class in a non basketball playing country!! Bringing up issues such as the 'cognitive blind spot', where we unknowingly can delude ourselves and strip humanity away from 'the other' and ourselves, by ignoring the EVIDENCE right in front of our eyes as in Lin killing it a school, county and state level AND YET is not offered a single scholarship!

Listen to the podcast and then Watch the documentary, and enjoy deep reflective conversations.

What Jeremy accomplished and still stands for should be a source of hope and inspiration for everyone. This film features an all-star cast of Asian American luminaries, including the inimitable Hasan Minhaj dropping some truth bombs. Frank Chi establishes himself as an exciting new voice in storytelling with this debut short. Laugh, cry and understand the Asian American experience just that much better. The animation also deserves a special call out, helping to deepen the story and add moments of sublime levity that punctuates the narrative flow in a really nice way. All around the positive vibes we all need.

As a casual basketball viewer during the time of Linsanity, I thought it was inspiring to see an undrafted player generate the confidence required to excel in the NBA. The doc gave me greater insight into Lin's foundation and where that confidence came from. Stories of people believing in themselves despite odds transfer a sense of pride we as viewers can tap into in our personal lives. It was beautifully shot and cut in a way that kept me wanting to hear and see what was next. Animations of crowds celebrating during Linsanity took me back to the era where he was going off. Amazing job to the entire team and recommend you give it a watch.