Home Court
(USA, 98 min.)
Dir. Erica Tanamachi
Ashley Chea’s basketball skills became apparent early in life. As a young girl, Chea spent most of her time on the basketball court and she would eventually parlay that talent into a burgeoning high school career (and now college, as a member of the Princeton Tigers). Erica Tanamachi’s Home Court centres itself on Chea, finding threads of storytelling related to her life to create many branches for the film to explore. Because of this sheer quantity, Tanamachi’s film never quite investigates any one topic thoroughly, in spite of presenting some fascinating points of discussion.
Tanamachi gives us a glimpse into Chea’s development as a person, player, and leader. Chea’s immaturity, for example, is shown as a hindrance to her team as her on-court outbursts lead to foul after foul, while she’s quick to shed tears after big losses or when her team isn’t up to par. Tanamachi builds a unique yet entirely relatable character study that observes the challenges of growing up, especially in the world of athletics. It’s a shame that Chea’s vulnerability isn’t explored further as the discussion around what teens face today carries great poignancy.
Instead, Tanamachi spends a great deal of time on Chea’s family, specifically her parents being Cambodian refugees who fled to the United States seeking safety when the Khmer Rouge took control. Those aware of Cambodia’s history can attest to the heartbreak of this time period and what refugees like Chea’s parents sacrificed to survive. Again, this storyline in itself could be an incredible film: refugees who became business owners and whose daughter is recruited by the top colleges in the country to play ball — the modern day American dream. But in Home Court, this part of Chea’s story feels more like a segment break.
The same can be said for the palpable sadness and pain Chea harbours towards, and because of, her parents, and the briefest of dives into the history of Japanese Americans and basketball from Chea’s Coach Jayme. Tanamachi wraps up these particular stories by visiting the well-worn path of the Asian diaspora’s struggle with being Asian in a white country. While the emotions associated with this struggle are, of course, valid and real no matter how many people experience them, for a documentary releasing in 2024, it’s more formulaic than revelatory.
Undoubtedly, Chea makes for a compelling film based on her personality alone, and her family’s history only serves to elevate her individual story. What stops Home Court from becoming an all-star is a rush to fit everything into 98 minutes. Tanamachi effectively mines history lessons, think pieces, and therapy sessions to create a film profile of a student athlete, but just doesn’t provide enough space for these elements to score.
