It has been over 15 years since Steve James delivered his beautiful and heartbreaking documentary, “Hoop Dreams.” A powerful look at the lives of two high school boys who are working on making it to the NBA, James’ sensitive film didn’t just focus on the journey of his subjects but also opened the lens to the impact their goals had on their families and on the community as a whole. The film initially flew under the radar but was tirelessly championed by Siskel & Ebert and it has since earned the rightfully deserved status of one of the best documentaries of all time. Since then, James has directed a handful of films — the narrative feature “Prefontaine” and the docs “Stevie” and “Reel Paradise” among them — none have been met with same buzz as “Hoop Dreams,” but that may all change.
A trailer for his latest effort, “The Interrupters,” has landed and it looks every bit as moving, insightful and informative as his basketball doc. Premiering at Sundance back in January to rave reviews, the film chronicles the stories of three Violence Interrupters, individuals familiar with gang life who work with the Chicago organization CeaseFire to try and speak to youths and stop violence before it starts. It looks like another fascinating investigation at the life of Chicagoans that rarely get the light shined on them, and it looks like James is once again digging deep, going far beneath the surface of the story.
The film will open in limited release starting on July 29th in New York City before expanding to more cities. Click here to see when it will play near you and check out the trailer below.