Sooley

“As they approached Juba, the gravel turned to asphalt and the constant bumping eased somewhat. The passengers grew quiet as they passed miles of shantytowns, then blocks of sturdier homes.”

Samuel has spent his entire life in the familiar environment of his rural village. Pursuing his dreams of playing basketball in America means leaving the safety and comfort of home for the unknowns of the big city. Symbolically, the gravel roads turning to asphalt signifies his first crossing of the threshold and entrance into that new world.

“Watching Will Smith race through the streets in a sports car with a slinky woman on his arm was certainly entertaining. And Samuel, along with the other nineteen players, believed in his soul that it was not just a dream. The Miami Heat were currently paying Niollo $15 million a year to play basketball, money they could not comprehend.”

Samuel’s first exposure to the excess of American culture comes through this film. While the lifestyle is incomprehensible, he still aspires to it. This moment also suggests that media plays a role in shaping Samuel’s values, as films like this depict an unrealistic (and unhealthy) image of what a wealthy lifestyle looks like, and Samuel pursues that image when approached by Arnie Savage.

“The leader of the gang was in the middle of the road firing at the sky. Beside him were two others, just boys, probably Samuel’s age or younger, dressed in their best imitation of real soldiers, a hodgepodge of leather ammo belts and guns on both hips, along with their rifles. One wore a white cowboy hat. One had on basketball shoes.”

Samuel’s first direct encounter with the violence of the ongoing civil war comes right after he has earned his place on Ecko’s team and potentially found his way out. That one boy is wearing basketball shoes portends Samuel’s future if he were to stay in South Sudan, an idea reinforced when the government soldiers suggest that the rebels usually force boys his age to join them.