Making Maya

Our Rating: L Factor: Minor lesbian content Short Take: Love and basketball Alternate Titles:
Year: 2003 Duration: Language: USA/English MPAA: Not Rated	Director: Rolla Selbak Writer: Rolla Selbak Starring: Desmond Faison, Sam Gros, Amy Minderhout, Sara Marie Taylor

Making Maya Trailer

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Oftentimes, when the same person is the producer, director and writer of a film, it can be a tip off that you are in for a low budget production with problems ahead. Making Maya actually exceeded expectations in some areas, but it suffers in others.

Amy Minderhout does a wonderful job as Maya, graduating from an Oregon high school with an uncertain future. She loves basketball, practicing and playing every day on an outdoor court with best friend Mars (Desmond Faison). Maya dreams of big time college ball, but her high school didn’t even have a team, and she is still writing letters to college coaches and hoping to get noticed in two on two tournaments. (Note: after high school graduation is a little late for this!)

Maya’s home life is a mess, with a mother (Sam Gros) who lives for alcohol. Unfortunately, this role is overplayed and cliché, and takes up too much screen time that does not add to the story. Then Maya runs into Sam (Sara Taylor) on the basketball court. Usually Maya plays with guys, so she seems happy to meet a female friend who understands her love of the game. Eventually, the two share alcohol, a kiss and more in a hotel room – making this coming of age story about Maya’s search for self a little more interesting.

Although the dvd cover features the kiss between Sam and Maya, it is a one time event. The cover shot is a little misleading, since the lesbian content is actually quite small in the film. That being said, this is an original story, and Minderhout carries the film, when not stuck in an overwrought scene.

Watch if you love basketball. Filmmaker Rolla Selbak also wrote some of the songs on the soundtrack. (AB)