Takedowns and Falls

‘Takedowns & Falls’

“Clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose”: The motto of the Dillon Panthers of “Friday Night Lights” could be that of the Central Dauphin Rams wrestlers, a Harrisburg, Pa., team featured in the documentary “Takedowns & Falls.” The Rams are led by a man of Coach Taylor-size charisma, Jeff Sweigard, who sets an example in his personal and professional life for his team, which is heavy on underclassmen.

Directors Todd Hickey and Kirk Ledger had extraordinary access to the Rams, starting 107 days before the state championships, in which Sweigard, entering the 2006-2007 season, has yet to coach a team or individual winner. We see his guys — starting with more than 40 members, ending up with about 30 — enduring bloody noses and nausea as they build up their endurance for what is undoubtedly one of the most physically grueling sports. And we meet the families, especially the Peppelmans, who have turned a barn on their property into a training center for Walter, a junior, and Marshall, a freshman. These kids are privileged but not pampered by their coaches or, from what we can see, their families.

For an audience of non-wrestling enthusiasts, however, the filmmakers’ access proves a bit of a takedown in itself. Unwilling, it appears, to waste their footage, they let the film drag on past the two-hour mark, tamping down the suspense they’re trying to build. And, unlike football, baseball or basketball, wrestling at its finest lacks the cinematic elements that can build to a crescendo. Watching a face get mashed into a mat isn’t the same as an end-zone ball spike. But it’s real, as are the struggles and achievements of Sweigard’s team. That’s enough.

No MPAA rating. Plays Fri.-Thu. at Facets Cinematheque, 1517 W. Fullerton Ave. Running time: 2:02

— Maureen M. Hart

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Review: Takedowns and Falls
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RECOMMENDED – NewcityFilm

Todd Hickey and Kirk Ledger’s latter-day venture into direct cinema, “Takedowns and Falls,” documents the 2006-2007 season of the Central Dauphin Rams, a high-school wrestling team in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania hoping for a state championship. The filmmakers say the lineage of inspiration for their film includes “Vision Quest,” “Friday Night Lights,” “Hoop Dreams” and “Spellbound.” Their work holds interest even if it never attains the estimable heights of its documentary forebears: aficionados of the sport are likely to get more from the story than the average viewer. The earnestness of the students, their unspoiled hope, may be the most memorable element. Footage of landscapes and matches shot on 35mm film (along with digital video) is a strength rare in contemporary documentary.  122m. (Ray Pride)

“Takedowns and Falls” opens Friday at Facets. Hickey will appear at Friday-Saturday screenings as well as Sunday at 1:30pm and 4pm. A trailer is embedded below.

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Matmen Movie.

By: Matt Harness Sun-Times Media

May 5, 2010

If you wrestle and/or like wrestling and/or like movies, head down to Chicago’s Facets movie house this weekend for the city’s opening of Takedowns and Falls, a documentary by Todd Hickey that chronicles Pennsylvania’s Central Dauphin Rams during their 2006-07 state championship season. The film will run through May 13.

Billed as having parallels to the popular book, movie and now TV show Friday Night Lights, Takedowns and Falls goes behind the scenes with the Rams. Of course, wrestling is the focus, but the sport is a pivot point for everything else that goes on in the teenagers’ lives.

Bonus for viewers this weekend is that the filmmaker will be in town and at the screenings to participate in Q&As. If you’ve never attended a movie that offers a Q&A, I recommend it.

If you’re still not convinced, this weekend’s weather forecast looks gloomy, especially Friday. Also, here’s a trailer that’s sure to tug at your emotions.

For more information and tickets, go to the Facets Web site.

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