Narrative Film 'The Air Up There'

The Air Up There, a narrative film about a man finding himself with a tribe in Wanabi, Africa. The main character Jimmy Dolan, travels to Africa to recruit a 72 inch basketball player by the name of Saleh. He has to leave his comfort zone and experience situations that ultimately force him to quit living in the past. Dolan has history in St. Josephs more specifically the basketball team, The Bulls. He played on the 1981 team and they become the champions that year. Dolan is credited with creating the move Shake and Bake. He was able to go farther as in move up to the National Basketball Association, but a knee injury ultimately put an end to that dream. Thankfully he is part of the coaching staff as an assistant coach. He and the head coach, …show more content…
He tries and fails and tries and fails again. He is so beat down that he decides to just call it quits. His excuse was his knee the one thing that has always been an obstacle is his knee. This is an example of him still living in the past. Not until Saleh tells him in a sense that he believes in him. This opens Dolan’s eyes, seeing that someone still believes in him even when he no longer does. So, he takes a journey to discover himself and become a Wanabi. At the beginning the Wanabi give him instructions but no more and turn their backs to him. This shows that to find one’s self, one must complete the journey on their own. Once he reaches the secrete spot he lets go, he lets go of the past and to symbolize this he throws away his 1981 Championship Ring. Once he returns to the tribe the ceremony begins, and he must be scared. The reason for it is to symbolize that sacrifice for the Wanabi is important. Dolan in the end performed self-sacrifice and ended up being a good thing. The Wanabi kept their ancestral lands, but self-sacrifice does not always end up with receiving something in return. In the end Dolan learned his lesson and quit living in the past. Saleh did what was right and made the tribe extremely