Unguarded

Chris Herren was a rising basketball star in his home town of Fall River. Like his brother and the local heroes before him, he was destined for greatness; to run through a basketball filled college career and become and NBA All Star. His journey was put to a halt due to overwhelming pressure, and countless dark addictions. “Unguarded” is an ESPN film directed by Jonathan Hock. It tells the story of the adversity and difficulty Herren went through to find life’s true meaning, and the value of life based on what you enjoy and want, and what you feel you need to do.

“Unguarded” focuses on the challenge Herren went through as a boy growing up through college. The biggest problem in his life, before he started drugs, was the weight that was thrust onto his shoulders of restoring his town to its former glory, and succeeding where his brother could not: the NBA.  When it seemed like he was on the right track to fulfilling this destiny, Herren’s life took a dark turn. Rather than becoming an NBA super star, he became an addict. Herren had difficulty keeping his mind on the game, and instead of thriving in what he had wanted his whole life, he began a steep downward spiral at the mercy of the drugs he was taking.

I thought this was a great documentary because it gave a real in depth look at Herren and his life. I believe the reason it was so good was because Herren sees it as a learning experience for other people who are in similar situations as he was. Due to this similar learning experience, he clearly isn’t shy about sharing it all with ESPN. I think that’s great because it really lets us get 100% into the story and see a full view of his life.

Overall, I would say this was a great documentary and would recommend it not to just any sports fan, but anybody. If your someone who enjoys learning and seeing a different view to things than you are used to, then this is a great film for you.