Red Black Green

Directed by Naphat Boonyaprapa

2023

Foot In The Door Productions UK

One of the most widely spouted pieces of advice for creatives is to use what you know as the basis for your projects. East Midlands director, and founder of Foot in the Door Productions, Naphat Boonyaprapa has clearly taken this literally, basing Red, Black, Green on the table tennis club that his brother and he are members of.

Not that the Draycott and Long Eaton Table Tennis Club doesn’t offer plenty that’s worth documenting. The club has a storied history, producing more than 60 national champions, and its current lineup includes three members of the Green family (Connor, Erin and Anna) who have each found success – following in the footsteps of their parents.

Having plenty of access to his subjects, Boonyaprapa paces the film like a gentle conversation, with the audio from the interviews overplaying footage of practise sessions, or sourced footage from Table Tennis England from ranked matches. Through the trainers at the club, the Green family and other competitors, we slowly get a picture of what the club means to those involved.

While an organisation with the level of success that this club has could pile on the pressure of those involved, the interview segments are often focused on how the trainers aim to facilitate individual aims – whether its simple practice, or the more ambitious aim of going professional.

To be blunt though, the club isn’t really the focus. Instead, the emphasis is placed on Connor Green, who following success in the under-21s nationals, is now putting his efforts on the adult male and international titles. It’s understandable why Boonyaprapa chose this focal point, and Connor is an endearing interviewee – equal parts aware of his talent and success and humble.

We get lots of segments from the trainers and Connor’s family discussing his success, and what makes him stand out from the pack at the club. Boonyaprapa has a great sense of direction, slowing ramping up the intensity of the clips used – capturing Connor at pivotal moments in his recent career.

However, at the end you are left with the feeling that there is much more to say. Connor’s sisters feel a little sidelined, despite having their own successes, and there are other members of the club (including some who have some rather important victories over Connor) who are relegated to a couple of brief segments.

Your mileage will also depend on how much you enjoy table tennis. Everyone likes an underdog story, but there are plenty of sports documentaries out there, many covering more mainstream activities.

As a piece of work, Red, Black, Green is an excellent calling card for Boonyaprapa, who uses his own passion for the sport to put together a short, engaging documentary. He shows real chops for factual filmmaking, especially with his combination of exciting footage and gentle interview style. Credit to the rest of the crew (many of whom are students) for the professional work done on this project.

Foot in the Door Productions clearly has a lot of talent in its members, and its exciting to see what they’re able to do next.

★★★

3 / 5

Matthew Tilt

Twitter @Matthew_Tilt