Erick Scott, the #1 draft pick in the NBA sits across from his agent, Ray. The NBA is in the middle of a lockout, resulting in no salary for the rookie-to-be. Erick (Melvin Gregg) has taken out a loan to get by while the owners and players work things out. Ray (Andre Holland) is lecturing him on the idiocy of this loan, talking about financial discipline and personal responsibility. If there is no money for Erick, there is no money for Ray, as evidenced by the decline of his company credit card at this fancy New York restaurant. This leads Ray to devising a plan to explore the labor politics of the National Basketball Association.
Ray goes from restaurants to offices to gyms to a sauna in order to get the wheels turning in his master plan. I could explain his plan here and it wouldn’t be a terrible spoiler, but it would spoil the fun of watching the narrative unravel in this sleek, 90-minute drama. Ray is determined. He meets with one of his bosses (Zachary Quinto), the commissioner of the NBA (Kyle MacLachlan), the rep for the players association (Sonja Sohn), and a player-turned-youth-coach (Bill Duke). There are real interviews with actual NBA stars laced throughout the film. Karl-Anthony Towns, Reggie Jackson, and Donovan Mitchell offer their insights into the NBA lifestyle as a young player. The focus of this “sports” movie is not on the game of basketball itself, but the “game above the game.”
Positioned between contracts, TV deals, endorsements, and players rights, the screenplay (written by Moonlight’s scribe Tarell Alvin McCraney) navigates the fast-paced sophistication of the money side of the NBA flawlessly. It’s sharp; the dialogue is quick and loaded, so you best not be scrolling through your phone while watching this one. The plot develops quickly, yet doesn’t reveal everything up front, allowing for the viewers to speculate until all is made clear. Holland is perfect for the role as Ray, the dogged and determined sports agent who more-or-less looks to cause an earthquake in the sports world.
It’s easy to see what was attractive about this project to Steven Soderbergh (besides working with his The Knick colleague, Andre Holland): it’s a story about independence; about autonomy of the individual and seeking to alter, disrupt, or break from current systems. Whether it’s a marriage, a government, or the NBA, Soderbergh’s characters crave independence, and they have unconventional methods of claiming it. That’s not to say they’re always successful or whether they are right or wrong, Soderbergh is here to provoke thought and contemplation. This is largely due to the aforementioned screenplay. The audience is not bashed over the head zealous overtones, rather the ideas of race, class, labor, and idealism are there just enough to be clear and present, allowing the audience to digest it on their terms.
High Flying Bird was shot on an iPhone, which shouldn’t be as mind-blowing as it is considering this is Soderbergh’s second film shot on an iPhone. But I am in awe with what Soderbergh is able to accomplish. This has got to be inspiring to filmmakers of any age at any stage in their career.
In an uncanny way, the plot at the center of “High Flying Bird” mirrors Netflix’s own path to what it has become. Why does it have to play by the rules? Why can’t it carve out its own fortune (i.e. original programming)? “High Flying Bird” is not only of the best films from Netflix’s original programming, but one of the best films of the year.