Gold Balls

Kate Dandel's feature-length documentary debut inspires the average athlete in all of us while offering unique insight into the lives of several elite tennis players - with the slight caveat that they all happen to be between the ages of 75 and 95. The film follows several players, each a character in their own right, contending for the golden balls that act as the trophies of US Senior Tennis championships. There's a former most-eligible-bachelor from Madison, Wisconsin; a retired litigator teaching tween tennis academy athletes a lesson in respecting their elders on and off the court; a 75-year-old woman who thought her physical therapist was being too soft in treating her rotator cuff surgery; and the publisher of "Black Tennis Magazine," who learned the game from his Methodist minister father in the backyard. The story quirkily reminds us that just getting up and going to the court is half the battle, as the film showcases the extensive pre-match stretches and morning calisthenics every player must go through to be in playing shape. But after the first serve, we forget that many of them retired from their careers 30 years prior, and realize they're just like every other athlete competing to be a champion. (Seattle International Film Festival)