“Stevie”

Directed by Steve James

1/2

“Stevie” is about as personal as a… “Stevie”

Directed by Steve James

1/2

“Stevie” is about as personal as a film can get.

It’s a heartbreaking documentary by Steve James, the filmmaker behind one of the most acclaimed documentaries – and, for that matter, films in general – of the ’90s, “Hoop Dreams,” which chronicled several years in the lives of two gifted high school basketball players struggling to break out of the ghetto and into the NBA.

James’ new subject is his friend.

When Stevie was a troubled young boy whose family didn’t want him, James, a graduate student at the time, befriended him through a Big Brother program. James couldn’t figure out how to help the boy find his way, but he was at least able to be a pal, something Stevie needed and appreciated.

At the start of the film, James re-enters his friend’s life after falling out of touch for several years. He finds Stevie, now in his twenties, is as maladjusted as ever, about to stand trial for allegedly molesting an 8-year-old girl. James believes that Stevie, who was himself the victim of sexual abuse in several foster homes as a child, is guilty, but the filmmaker still rekindles his friendship. He can’t forgive Stevie for what he did – he refuses on principle to lend him $100 for bail – but he still cares about him. And eventually, so do we.

James spends the film examining Stevie’s past and present in an effort to understand his behavior. But the filmmaker encounters a dilemma.

Where most documentaries combat the possibility that the presence of a camera will inhibit truth, James faces a dichotomy between his quest for truth and his duty as a friend. There’s a scene in which he follows Stevie to a nightclub and stands by, filming, as his subject gets excessively drunk and disorderly. After things get out of hand, James faults himself for not stepping in, for choosing to be a filmmaker before a friend, and starts to question what he’s doing. Seeing him torn up by notions that he’s exploiting Stevie, we get the impression that the film came very close to not existing.

We’re lucky it does though. “Stevie” is thoughtful, heartfelt and every bit the film “Hoop Dreams” is. But, sadly, it’s failing to find an audience. Thus far, playing limited engagements in New York, Los Angeles and other major cities, its grosses haven’t even crossed the $100,000 mark. It is about to become a lost gem. Don’t miss its Pittsburgh run.