Venus And Serena: An Intimate Look at the Williams Sisters

This post was written by DOC NYC blogger Maggie Glass.

Director Michelle Major introduced her film VENUS AND SERENA at a kickoff Gala Presentation on Thursday.

With many New Yorkers still suffering from the effects of Hurricane Sandy, VENUS AND SERENA–an uplifting story of determination against great odds–was a fitting film to kick off the New York’s 2012 Documentary Film Festival. DOC NYC directors Raphaela Neihausen and Thom Powers described the festival that almost wasn’t: stories of power outages, stranded volunteers, and filmmakers with flooded basements. “But one thing that kept us going,” Powers said, “is the feeling that we had something to offer the city.” He described the significance of starting the festival with VENUS AND SERENA, a film that is not only about determination, but also features “incredible characters with incredible humor and incredible drama.”

As a film, VENUS AND SERENA zig-zags between the challenges the Williams sisters faced as young tennis players and the very different set of challenges they have encountered as adult superstars. The inclusion of early television interviews and home video provides a glimpse into their lives growing up in Compton, California, where they strove to break into an elitist sport dominated by white men in white clothes. Guided by their driven, obsessive father, the Williams sisters would go on to become the top players in the world. But unlike most stories of sports glory, the documentary doesn’t just cover the triumphs. As Venus and Serena grow older, myriad health problems threaten not only their careers, but also their identities. When your life has been synonymous with tennis since near-infancy, what is more terrifying than not being able to play?

It was during this time of uncertainty that filmmakers Michelle Major and Maiken Baird were finally able to permeate the tight-knit world of the Williams family – although that certainly wasn’t the original plan. Major and Baird had proposed the documentary to the Williams sisters in 2007, but by the time it was approved, it was 2011 and the sisters’ dominance in the world of tennis was quickly fading.  Major introduced the screening by reflecting on the unfortunate timing. “When we started with the idea, they were at the height of their careers,” Major said, “and when we finally got the okay, we were like, ‘Are they ever going to win again?’”

Fortunately for both the filmmakers and the Williamses, the summer of 2012 saw historic comebacks for both sisters. And yet the previous year–filled with loss, boredom, and frustration–actually makes for a more compelling narrative than an unbroken string of successes. While exploring everything from thorny family dynamics to entrenched racism in the world of sports, VENUS AND SERENA, aided by Wyclef Jean’s buoyant soundtrack, remains upbeat and inspiring. Much like the Williams sisters themselves.

Maggie Glass is a New York-based writer and Senior Educator at Museum of the Moving Image.