Medicine Men

by Sean Keeley on Jun 12, 2007 12:34 PM EDT

About a month ago I mentioned the Thompson brothers, Jeremy and Jerome, on the Onondaga Community College lacrosse team whose quest to play lacrosse for the Syracuse Orange was being documented in a film called The Medicine Game. I had the good fortune to touch base with the film's director, Luke Korver, and get some insight into exactly what the film is about.

First up, here's the synopsis:

Two brothers from the Onondaga Nation pursue their dream of playing lacrosse for the national power, Syracuse University. With the dream nearly within reach, the boys are caught in a constant struggle to define themselves, live up to their family's expectations, and manage life on and off the reservation...

And Korver's personal insight into the film:

So far I have documented many aspects of their lives including their tumultuous and enlightening senior year at an American public high school, interviews with friends, family, and elders, and currently, their first year at Onondaga Community College. So far the film has been full of laughs, tears, heartbreaks, hard lessons, all of which have illuminated the strength of the Thompson family bond. It is a poignant film that has been two years in the making, about not only lacrosse, but also the history and problems facing the Onondaga Nation and all native peoples. The film touches on

brotherhood, family bonds, maintaining native traditions, racism, education, and most of all, the pursuit of their dreams. I have captured some extraordinary moments so far and hope to capture many more as the boys' dramatic story continues while they pursue their goal of playing lacrosse for Syracuse University and earn their college degrees.

The brothers are currently playing Box lacrosse in Canada for the summer and will return to OCC to complete their 2 year degrees, try to win a third-straight National Championship for their school and gain acceptance into Syracuse for fall 2008. You can view the film's trailer by going to www.lukaskorver.com, clicking "watch" and clicking "Medicine Game."

Good luck to Korver in releasing the film and hopefully we'll see the boys in orange soon.