Two former high school classmates, one black and one white, explore a complicated familial history in director Louise Woehrle’s incredible documentary, A Binding Truth. What initially started out as a sports biopic about the regional football superstar Jimmie Lee Kirkpatrick gracefully morphs into something far more affecting. Making its Midwest Premiere at the Heartland International Film Festival in Indianapolis next week, A Binding Truth turns a sports story into a larger civil rights story, ultimately crafting a universal story of America.

Back in the mid-1960s, Jimmie Lee Kirkpatrick was highly regarded as one of the best football players in his hometown of North Carolina. His skill and coordination on the field were so precise that he caught the attention of a neighboring high school coach, who persuaded Jimmie to transfer and play for his team. This move was unprecedented for many reasons but mainly because that meant Jimmie would be leaving his black, segregated high school in order to join the team at the white, affluent school. The move ultimately ended up being the best decision Jimmie ever made. Not only because he made history as the high school’s first black football star, but because a connection he made with one of his classmates nearly 50 years later uncovered a decades-long truth about his family’s history as slaves in the American South.

Despite their superficial differences, Jimmie Kirkpatrick and his new white classmate, Hugh “De” Kirkpatrick, had more in common than they realized. They shared the same last name, which led to an investigation into the backstory of both Jimmie and De’s family trees. Burdened with the guilt of generations before him, De, a forensic psychologist, dives deep into his research to ask the question, “How could anyone justify owning another human being?”. The reason they shared a last name is because De’s family had forced it upon Jimmie’s family as a signal of “property ownership”. This family secret of once being slaveholders was unknown to De, and the film gracefully allows both De and Jimmie to come to terms with this uncomfortable reality at their own pace.

There are some moments that are difficult to get through with dry eyes. The archival interviews from Jimmie and De’s family and friends can be haunting, uncomfortable, and yet absolutely necessary to hear. As far as subject matter goes, the film has a Remember the Titans quality to it, so fans of the Denzel Washington-led blockbuster should no doubt seek out this indie documentary.

Ending on an overall heartwarming note, the film does leave audiences with some sobering statistics. It’s hard to imagine now, but in 1860, nearly 40% of the county’s population, where they grew up, was enslaved. While De Kirkpatrick is not at fault for the actions of the generations before him, he teaches us that acknowledging the wrongdoings and committing to making a change is all any of us can do to ensure a compassionate future for all. Jimmie’s resilience throughout the film is equally as commendable and an example of how resiliency and the power of positive connection contribute to healing.