Friday Night Lights - 6

Based on the true story of the 1988 Permian High School football team, the film focuses on Coach Gary Gaines (Billy Bob Thornton) and and the players as they face the intense scrutiny and pressure that is Texas high school football, especially in this tight knit of Odessa. The story follows the stories of a few individual players, forming a collage of vignettes that are connected through the sequence of the games that they win and lose as the season progresses and makes its way to the ultimate game- the State Championship. While it has the usual elements of a sports movie, it is more than that as it highlights the personal lives that the players have and the broader implications and limits of a win/lose game mentality. While football is a huge part of life for this town, life cannot be reduced- there is a bigger picture. Which is what teaching and learning are ultimately about.
The score, by Explosions in the Sky, greatly compliments the storytelling.