It’s startling to think how differing laws in various countries can mean that something fully legal and defensible in one place could be entirely outlawed in another. But traveling abroad can be a dangerous business, especially when having a small amount of cannabis in your bag leads to an arrest and the translation of a seemingly minimal mistake into something that could lead to nine years in prison. Basketball star Brittney Griner endured ten months in a Russian prison and penal colony for something she forgot to take out of her bag before flying, and this film traces that time and how it’s affected her outlook on life and the sport she loves so much.
This documentary focuses mostly on Griner’s arrest and incarceration but also paints a larger picture of her upbringing and path to success. She’s frequently seen with her father and sister, clearly close with both at this current moment, but she also details that, when she was outed by someone in high school, her father reacted very poorly to the news that she was a lesbian before he later accepted it as something that wouldn’t interfere with her hard work and determination. Being 6’8” made for awkward teenage years, she admits, but it then led to her getting noticed when a dunking video went viral shortly after she was encouraged to try basketball and quickly proved her skill on the court.
Those who don’t know much about Griner are likely aware of her arrest, but this film adds a significant amount of necessary context. The reason for her travel to Russia was playing overseas due to the astonishingly large pay gap between NBA and WNBA players, meaning that she, like many other women, play year-round rather than only during the American basketball season. She describes packing in a hurry without thinking much, which led to her leaving in a small cartridge of cannabis that would barely have registered in U.S. customs. Her arrest also came just before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, a devastating development on its own but one that also complicates negotiations for Griner’s release given the official American position towards Russia.
Regardless of the circumstances that put here there, Griner did endure quite a bit following her arrest and took notes throughout while she had almost no communication with family and friends. She shares about how little she knew and how she was eventually transferred to a penal colony where she requested hard labor since she was strong and preferred that to something like sewing which required her to stand for hours hunched down. It still took its physical toll, namely the need to cut her hair, and she returned home not in great health. Ultimately, this is a story of resilience and perseverance wrapped up in an international dispute that eventually was resolved but has still led to many who believes that her release in exchange for a Russian arms dealer was a mistake, especially for those who take issue with her political positions and assert that she was prioritized over another American prisoner due to her sexual orientation and skin color.
Hearing from Griner and her closest associates is enlightening, and her basketball career trajectory, both before and after her imprisonment, is inspiring. This is a film that largely focuses on a trying period from her life but doesn’t only cover that, looking at the whole person and how those who love her fought tirelessly to bring her home. Her wife Cherelle Watson is the emotional core of the film, working to get President Joe Biden to intervene and advocating fiercely for the woman she loves. As a primer on this talented star and her most difficult moments, this documentary delivers, offering not just a recap of her harrowing experience but also an optimist portrait of a star athlete deliberately choosing the right priorities as she reflects back on her past.
Movie Rating: 7/10
The Brittney Griner Story premieres in the Premieres section at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival.
