`Fathers of Football'
NOT RATED 1:27 ★★★ 1/2
For the past two decades, documentarian Bradley Beesley has made a career of spotlighting the relatable humanity in quirky, outof-the-way corners of his home state, whether he's showcasing the champion hand fishermen who gather annually in Pauls Valley with “Okie Noodling,” revealing the intriguing history of Oklahoma City-based art-rockers The Flaming Lips in “Fearless Freaks” or getting down in the dirt with Oklahoma's convict cowgirls in “Sweethearts of the Prison Rodeo.”
The Austin, Texas-based filmmaker scores a touchdown under the blazing “Friday night lights” with his feature-length sports documentary “Fathers of Football.”
After offering a special sneak peek of the film during the 2018 deadCenter Film Festival, Beesley is bringing the movie back to Oklahoma City for a onenight-only showing at 8 p.m. Friday at Rodeo Cinema, 2221 Exchange Ave. He will participate in a Q&A after the screening.
Beesley's father, Paul Beesley, was a Sooner state high school football coach for more than 20 years, leading teams at Piedmont, Meeker and Little Axe, and the filmmaker's ease and expertise with small-town Oklahoma's favorite game are evident in his chronicle of the hard-working, blue-collar, record-setting Wagoner Bulldogs.
After two state championships and a 25-game winning streak, the powerhouse northeast Oklahoma squad embarks on a quest to earn its third consecutive Class 4A title under Coach Dale Condict. But even as they score big wins on the field, Condict and his team face a challenging 2015 season off the gridiron, as Condict's father and fellow coach, Tom Condict, dies of cancer shortly after his teenage son, Austin, a player on the team, receives his own cancer diagnosis.
Along with compellingly documenting the trials and triumphs of Austin's teammates, Beesley gets lucky with the film's final game, which had as much drama as any Hollywood screenwriter could ever want. But timing so often is everything in football, filmmaking and life.