Off the Rez

Director Jonathan Hock's TLC-aired documentary focuses on Shoni Schimmel, a 16-year-old Native American girl who dreams of playing college basketball. As Hock tracks Schimmel's progress over two years, Off the Rez broadens into a larger portrait of Schimmel's extended family, along with other Native Americans who have failed to pursue their dreams due to fear, racism, or responsibilities that make it impossible to leave home. Schimmel aims to be the first student from Oregon's Umatilla Indian Reservation to win a college scholarship. She has the support of her father, brothers, and women in her family, including her great-grandmother, Delores, who says, “That's what's keeping me alive.” Her non-native grandfather, however, has never acknowledged his grandchildren, because he didn't approve of his son Rick's cohabitation relationship. When Schimmel's mother, Ceci, a basketball coach, transfers to Portland, Shoni and her six siblings accompany her, while Rick remains on the reservation to work (although he and other relatives drive across the state for games). Schimmel plays aggressively, but her strikingly attractive, foul-mouthed mother exhibits an even tougher personality on court, partially because she wants her daughter to go farther than she herself did. Schimmel breaks her foot during her junior year (while scouts watch) and misses half the season, and her mother becomes pregnant with her eighth child. Despite financial hardships, the family remains in Portland for Shoni's senior year, which doesn't always go smoothly as she works toward a goal that is as much a collective as individual one. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (K. Fennessy)