Rhode Island International Film Festival 2009

Lacrosse The Nations documents the inaugural trip of an organization (by the same name) into a trash dump community in Nicaragua to host a lacrosse camp. The main players in the film and founders of the organization are Brad Corrigan and Brett Hughes. Brad Corrigan a musician is founder of Love, Light & Melody a non-profit that has been working in the setting of the film La Chureca for 3 years. Brett Hughes is a professional lacrosse player with a passion for kids and spreading love through the universal language of sports. They are joined with a colorful cast of Lacrosse players and enthusiasts along with the people who live and work in Managua's city dump a community known as La Chureca. The film starts with some simple facts to set the tone: introducing, lacrosse the nations, this is not a cause, this is family & on the screen then appears la Chureca is accompanied by words members of the trip used to describe La Chureca, Then again the screen reads La Chureca is: a trash dump community in Central America, Home to nearly 1500 people for the last 40 years, more than 50% kids. Music fades in and the viewer is taken through a visual tour of La Chureca, what people do, what they see, how children play. The images are meant to really take the person to La Chureca not to scare them or appall them but to show them that there is beauty and life in the most unlikely of places, and in this way they are given the same experience as those who attended the camp getting to first see La Chureca in its natural element. Daniel's (an American who has worked in La Chureca for years) truck drives by and the pace picks up we meet Brad and Brett and hear their vision for the camp. Throughout the film we meet all the players who came down to participate in the camp and watch the beauty that unfolds. Local adults and teens come out to help as leaders; a little girl named Maria becomes a coach to other little girls to timid to play on their own. Tension and aggression find a positive outlet as through the week kids learn to share and be more tolerant on each other rather than having every transgression lead to a fight. There is a visible change in the children and in the coaches by the end of the week. The film is capped with visual juxtapositions of lacrosse and life in La Chureca in a montage of seemingly similar images. Sports are a universal language that can transcend all barriers. Even in a trash dump in Nicaragua the basics for the Ivy League sport of lacrosse are already there. As a conclusion Brad make remarks about the trip and their hope to come again and take the concept to other communities on American soil and around the globe. Finally, a young girl and resident of La Chureca named Jesenia is asked the same questions we asked all the characters of the film to create the description of La Chureca at the beginning of the film. Her answer is that La Chureca is ugly and the game with sticks is beautiful. Through unity and love we can conquer all boundaries, love is the greatest of all gifts we have been given and it is relentless. This film depicts one way a group of people are sharing their love and helping in impoverished communities.