Resolved (film)

Infobox Film
name = Resolved


image_size =
caption = Theatrical release poster
director = Greg Whiteley
producer = Greg Whiteley
writer = Greg Whiteley
narrator =
starring = Sam Iola
Louis Blackwell
Richard Funches
Matt Andrews
music =
cinematography = Tristan Whitman
Liam Dalzell
Brad Barber
Greg Whiteley
editing = Tom Runquist
Greg Whiteley
Brad Barber
distributor =
released = June 23, 2007 (Los Angeles Film Festival)
runtime = 91 min
country = USA
language = English
budget =
gross =
preceded_by =
followed_by =
website = http://www.debatemovie.com
amg_id =
imdb_id = 1068161

"Resolved" is a 2007 documentary concerning the world of high school policy debate. The film was written and directed by Greg Whiteley of New York Doll fame. [ [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1068161/ "Resolved" on IMDb] ] . The film captured the "Audience Award" title at its debut on June 23, 2007 at the Los Angeles Film Festival. [ [http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117933980.html?categoryid=31&cs=1 Variety's Review of Resolved] ] The film was produced by One Potato Productions. [ [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1068161/ "Resolved" on IMDb] ] The film is currently making the film festival circuit since its debut at the Los Angeles Film Festival. [ [http://www.myspace.com/debatemovie Resolved Film Information at Myspace] ]

Plot

In today's world of high school policy debate, successful debaters fly through academic research and facts at a pace of 400 words per minute by utilizing a strategy known as the spread. As a result of the spread (SPeed-READing), the ability to understand a round of policy debate by a lay person has decreased significantly since the spread's development during the 1960s. [ [http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/film/reviews/article_display.jsp?&rid=9492 Hollywood Reporter] ] With debate rounds now filled with specialized jargon, the accessibility and value of a debate round in increasing public discourse has also decreased. Today, high-powered rounds at national competition and the Tournament of Champions are contested almost exclusively by wealthy students of noteworthy private schools. Resolved begins by focusing on the careers of Matt Andrews and Sam Iola, the former a stand-out rising sophomore and the latter a rising senior famous within the policy debate community. [ [http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117933980.html?categoryid=31&cs=1 Variety's Review of Resolved] ] The team of Iola and Andrews hails from Highland Park High School, a recognized national debate power from Texas. From there, Whiteley shifts his focus to Louis Blackwell and Richard Funches of Jordan High School in Long Beach, California. By contrast, Jordan High's debate team is underfunded, and the school is a public high school with only 12-18% of its students going on to a four-year college. [ [http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/film/reviews/article_display.jsp?&rid=9492 Hollywood Reporter] ] In an underdog style victory, the team of Funches and Blackwell capture the California state championship. Once the team from Long Beach has won the state championship while playing by the conventional rules of modern policy debate, the team is introduced by their coach Dave Wiltz to Paulo Freire's "Pedagogy of the Oppressed". From there, the team from Jordan High changes their debate strategy, arguing against the current strategy used in high school debate, and using Freire's work to show the oppressive nature of the spread and the structure of debate as a whole. Along these lines, Jordan High's team chooses to read slowly and focus on persuasion rather than pure quick argumentation. At the end of the documentary, however, they are defeated by a "traditional" team. The judge defends his decision by stating that the Jordan High team convinced him that the structure of debate is flawed, but then the debaters went on to use the very structure of debate to continue to defend their arguments. Thus, their arguments were not consistent. They attempt to qualify for the tournament of champions, but this loss effectively curtails this dream. Moreover, one of the debaters is suspended, further ending any hope to this chance. In addition to the social message, Resolved involves commentaries from Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito, Jane Pauley, and Juan Williams. [ [http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/film/reviews/article_display.jsp?&rid=9492 Hollywood Reporter] ]

Cast

*Louis Blackwell
*Richard Funches
*Jon Bruschke
*Matthew Andrews
*Sam Iola
*Samuel K. Alito
*Jane Pauley
*Josh Lucas
*Juan Williams
*David Wiltz

ee also

*Policy debate
*Tournament of Champions (debate)

References

External links

*imdb title|1068161
* [http://www.debatemovie.com Resolved Official Website]
* [http://www.myspace.com/debatemovie Resolved's Myspace]