Lynch: A History

Former Seahawk Marshawn Lynch got in trouble as much for what he didn't say as for what he did, and none of it had to do with his performance on the field. His story is a great one: A young man grows up on the streets of Oakland and ends up winning a Super Bowl ring while never forgetting where he came from. If that were all this was about, that would be fine, but director/UW professor David Shields has bigger ideas. Using more than 700 video clips and a handful of literary quotes, he has crafted a Godardian collage as much about American society as about sports. The movie jumps around, juxtaposing pop-culture images and news clips of racist incidents with sports and mythology and biography. It's exhilarating and keeps you thinking. In a time when sports figures and celebrities are expected to shut up and entertain us - and when even the President will call for players who protest to be fired - Lynch refused to do cookie-cutter interviews and play the part of Star Athlete. The movie, according to the promotional materials, "celebrates Lynch's attempt to be true to himself in a capitalist, racist society that wants to exploit him and that he wants to both exploit and oppose." Ultimately, Lynch: A History is a playful look at serious subjects. (Seattle International Film Festival)