At the opening night
gala, we were privileged to view the screening of “The Short Game” produced by
Justin Timberlake and his lovely wife, Jessica Biel. Attending the
inaugural Film Festival in La Costa was Josh Greenbaum, the director of “TheShort Game” and with whom I had the opportunity to chat a little bit. I also
had the opportunity to meet Ameri Avery, one the young ladies starring in the
film and winner of the 2012 Junior Golf‘s World Championship for girls under 7.
For me, what makes a
good film is not only the acting, but the stories that are told and the clever
use of the camera to create suspense or to foreshadow an event. “The
Short Game” nicely reveals the stories of 8 very young children competing for
Junior Golf‘s World Championship. It was amazing to learn through the film that
not only are these children under seven years old, but they come from 54
different countries, different backgrounds and social status’s seeking the same
goal: to be the best of the best at such a tender age. All eight
children casted for the documentary displayed a deep passion for the game,
extreme talent, the willingness to sacrifice their childhood for the game and
an uncanny ability to learn through their mistakes.
The film takes you into
the daily lives and homes of these families, allowing the audience to
experience the families’ backgrounds, the hard work these children have to put
forth and their dedication to achieving their goals. The sacrifices they
make to train and the amount of pressure each child puts on him/herself -
along with the pressure exerted on them by their parents – is unimaginable.
It was heart-breaking to see the children lose their composure during
practices and throughout the Pinehurst Tournament where each of them was vying
to be the winner. The film-makers allowed the influence of the social
status of each family to come through the film. The financially wealthy
lived in gorgeous mansions and stayed in luxurious resorts. Those with
lesser means appeared in their modest homes and stayed in VERY inexpensive
hotels.
As a parent of three
beautiful children, I could not help to question, if the parents had too much
vested interest in helping their children to perfect the game: be it for their
financial benefit, for pride or was it pure love for the child? I was
delighted, however, to see that these talented and driven children were still
allowed to be children. Away from practices and tournaments, these
matured seven year-olds become vivacious and silly,
just as any other 7 year-old would.
As the backgrounds of each child and his/her
family are being presented, I found myself rooting for Zama Nxasana from South
Africa. He was buoyant and infectious with his laugh and his responses
were priceless. I was happy to learn that he was a awarded “most improved
player” in the 2012 Junior Golf‘s World Championship.
For someone who knows nothing about Golf, I found the film to be flavorful and enlightening. It was not only about golf but the intricacies of life. The viewer’s emotions were powerfully evoked through the children’s behaviors and the responses of the parents. For example, I did not like Augustin’s mother. Augustin Valery was the seven-year old French golfer whose days in the tournament were not going as desired. It was upsetting to see any adult - specially a MOTHER - put such insurmountable pressure on her 7 year-old son. On the other hand, I could feel the raw emotions of Ameri Avery, the winner of the 2012 Junior Golf‘s World Championship tournament for the 7 and under, as well as the poor responses from her caddy and dad.
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| Ameri Avery and Soledad |
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