Finding Tony is an independent film marking Raven Magwood Goodson’s directorial debut, with NBA Star Anthony Davis serving as executive producer. The film follows the story of a widowed NBA player named Tony, who embarks on a journey to rediscover himself after experiencing significant hardships. As Tony navigates through his emotional and psychological struggles such as grief and alcoholism the film delves into themes of loss, self-discovery, and resilience, offering a poignant exploration of a man’s attempt to rebuild his life after facing profound adversity.
“Tony was angry at some things and dealing with a lot of grief. Unfortunately, sometimes life and art can run parallel to each other,” says Actor Stephen Bishop, who plays Tony in the film. “At that time, I was going through a brief period in my life that allowed me to inform Tony of some of my own emotions. I think that it was a really good opportunity for that to be somewhat of a catharsis for me personally.”
During his time of grief, Tony spirals into depression and alcoholism after his wife is violently murdered. Following a DUI arrest, he reluctantly starts coaching a women’s junior college basketball team. It begins as a difficult challenge, especially when he meets Destiny played by Raquel Justice), an orphaned basketball star with a strong attitude. Despite their clashing personalities, they teach each other valuable lessons and help one another find their purpose.
“I think that coaching a women’s team influenced Tony’s character development. I think it softened him and allowed him to stop running away from his emotions, as David would say, being a recluse and trying to deal with it all by himself in his lonely and dark space. They allowed him, and they helped him and encouraged him to come out,” said Bishop.
Bishop explains that it is difficult to showcase emotional vulnerability when you are a leader among men. He went further, sharing that the ladies broke Tony down a bit and showed him it is okay to be vulnerable. That aided his betterment and made him stronger overall. It’s important not to confuse weakness with vulnerability, as having the courage to wear your heart on your sleeve is one of the most substantial things a person can do.
Finding Tony was a labor of love for all those involved. The independent film was only shot in 17 days, which is unbelievable when you see what came to be on screen. While there were days when the cast and crew doubted their abilities to finish the film, they did, and they all worked together by combining resources and expertise to get the job done.
“I just want to see how a person like Raven and somebody like SB [Stephen Bishop] and myself get together with the funds that other people have and watch the magic that comes out because although we know that we’re on the shoestring budget when our people look at the movie, they’re still judging it against Star Wars. I can’t wait to see the day when we can be free, and the only thing that we have to worry about is being creative,” said David Banner as Dr. Daniel.
“Finding Tony” is available to stream on Apple TV.