My guest today is Luke. Luke is a lifelong midwesterner with an ardent love of film. I met Luke in college on the speech and debate circuit. Although we competed for different teams, we forged a lifelong friendship. Over the years, Luke has taught me all about the joys of USL soccer and Regal Cinemas. As another friend once said, having Luke for as a friend is like having Confucius in the group chat. Luke brings a depth of philosophical thought to film analysis that I strive to emulate in my own work.

Luke’s favorite movie is the 1994 documentary Hoop Dreams. Hoop Dreams presents the story of two young Chicago basketball players, William Gates and Arthur Agee. William and Arthur are recruited to play basketball for an elite suburban high school with the promise that success on the court will change the trajectory of their young lives. Filmmakers Steve James and Frederick Marx follow the two boys and their families for several years, documenting their successes and failures both in and out of basketball. Their divergent paths question dominant narratives of status attainment and the American Dream. Hoop Dreams was lauded upon its release, becoming one of the most profitable documentaries of all time and one of the seminal films of the 1990s. However, it was controversially snubbed for the Best Documentary Oscar. The public outcry and subsequent investigation lead to sweeping changes in the historically sclerotic documentary branch of the academy. To elaborate on the lasting power of this deeply human story, here is my conversation with Luke.