Rise (2022)

Rise (2022)

7/10

Starring

Uche Agada

Ral Agada

Jaden Osimuwa

Elijah Shomanke

Yetide Badaki

Dayo Okeniyi

 

Directed by Akin Omotoso

 

Rise is a sports-drama movie about the rise of a family of illegal, unwanted immigrants who gave their all so their children could become somebody in the future. It is based on the true-life story of three young Nigerian-Greek brothers, Giannis, Thanasis, and Kostas Antetokounmpo, who were fortunate enough to gain legal status in the United States and rise to fame and success in the NBA.

I don’t think we get to see movies like this regularly. A big kudos to the director Akin Omotoso, who was able to capture the struggle and help us see the challenges of undocumented immigrants in Europe. The casting and acting by the people who played the Adetokunbo family were top-notch, and the movie does well to capture their emotions and struggles.

If you are unaware or don’t have people in your life facing these challenges, you may find some of the family struggles hard to believe, but this is real-life hustle. The parents of the boys sacrificed a lot to give their family a better life. Anyone can see the parents linking their hopes to their son as a way of trying to hold him back, but you must understand they tied all their future to the hope that one of their sons would lift them. Having to lay low and run from the immigration police are struggles many go through when they are illegal immigrants in Europe or the U.S. Some families get separated when one member gets caught and deported, and when this happens, some will never get to see their family again. They now have to start a new life back in their home country, starting from scratch. Some never survive this trauma.

Having to watch this movie depict these struggles is magical, and the way it is depicted is worth bowing to.

The plot, as described, starts with a family and their immigration struggles in Greece. As the young men in the home start to grow, their father sees potential in them becoming basketball stars. Alongside trying to get his family legal status in Greece, he and his wife sacrificed everything so their two sons could get the opportunity for a better life.

Things took a good turn when they were noticed by an agent who asked the family to trust him, as he could help one of the boys get a contract in Spain. Their future was tested when another scout wanted them to go with him instead. How all these challenges led to the NBA is what you will enjoy watching when you see this movie.

Rise is streaming now on Disney+.