Here's how InterMat opened its February 2019 article about the film's New York City premiere: "Get ready to get to know Jailen, Jamario, Teague and Jaquan ... four high school wrestlers from Huntsville, Alabama whose stories on and off the mat are the focus of a brand-new documentary titled 'Wrestle' which debuted in New York City this weekend…"
The official website for "Wrestle" refers to an award-winning documentary about high school basketball in its description of its own film, stating, "'Hoop Dreams' goes to the mat in this intimate, coming-of-age documentary about four members of a high-school wrestling team at Huntsville's J.O. Johnson High School..."
"Wrestle" is a multi-dimensional film which goes beyond the wrestling mat to focus on various issues, including struggles of life with a low income, racial profiling, the intense pressure of trying for a college scholarship, and the challenges of being a single parent.
"Wrestle" producers Suzannah Herbert and Lauren Belfer "logged more than 650 hours of footage during the course of the team's final season before cutting it down to feature length," according to AL.com, a website for a number of major newspapers in Alabama.
"Wrestle" is in good company. The other four films on the National Board of Review's list of top documentaries of this year include "American Factory", "Apollo 11", "The Black Godfather" and "Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story" by Martin Scorsese.
What is the National Board of Review? According to the organization's official website, "Since 1909, the National Board of Review has dedicated its efforts to the support of cinema as both art and entertainment. Each year, this select group of film enthusiasts, filmmakers, professionals and academics of varying ages and backgrounds watches over 250 films and participates in illuminating discussions with directors, actors, producers and screenwriters before announcing their selections for the best work of the year in late November prior to an annual ceremony in January."
Want to see "Wrestle" for yourself? It's always playing at the movie's official website.
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