"I saw this when I was fourteen. Saga the tomboy is one of my favorite characters. Falling in love with boys while wanting to be like them is how I spent my childhood, and the 1950s sports clothes dictated what I wore for the next ten years."

"Last year’s Minding the Gap was a reminder of just how deeply impactful James’s slow-burning, immersive sports tale has been on the world of modern documentary. It’s a perfect example of big-screen nonfiction storytelling: intimate, highly detailed, and shaped by no greater editor than life itself."

"This was the first documentary I ever saw in a movie theater. No less than an epic opus, the documentary you show people who don’t think they like documentaries, and the sort of film that lives with you whether you are a sports fan or not. (For the record, I am.)"

"This is such a fiery and entertaining crime film. It’s epic yet completely domestic and simple. While it’s somewhat of a departure from his canon, Kurosawa’s stamp is everywhere. He manages to expertly adapt American source material and place it in Japan (the irony, of course, being that America would adapt his stories for years to follow).Passionate, personal, and uplifting documentary filmmaking. This is a true example of the power of the art form, and a terrific movie too. Rarely do you find filmmakers with such an insight to the world of sports, and the ability to examine the personal politics that run underneath it. This should be required viewing for any sports or film fan."