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DRY BONES tells the gripping and emotional tale of Ike Maxwell, a legendary Black football player from the 1970s whose life is upended when his brother is tragically shot and killed by a white police officer in Elyria, Ohio—a city long plagued by racial tension. The incident thrusts Ike into a world of unrelenting hardship, grief, and trauma, compounded by the physical toll of brain injuries sustained over the years.
Sherman Jones, a passionate local community organizer, draws a poignant parallel between Ike's story and the biblical tale of Ezekiel's dry bones. "How are we going to breathe life into those dry bones?" Jones asks in the film. This question resonates not only for Ike but for the entire city of Elyria.
Imbued with religious undertones, the film presents football as a near-sacred experience for Black Elyrians who once revered Ike Maxwell as their hero. A central question then emerges: how do you revive a fallen hero? The answer lies in the power of community. DRY BONES showcases communal strength, offering a moving testament to the enduring omnipotence of a relatively obscure Black community in the heart of a rust belt city in Ohio.
DRY BONES tells the gripping and emotional tale of Ike Maxwell, a legendary Black football player from the 1970s whose life is upended when his brother is tragically shot and killed by a white police officer in Elyria, Ohio—a city long plagued by racial tension. The incident thrusts Ike into a world of unrelenting hardship, grief, and trauma, compounded by the physical toll of brain injuries sustained over the years.
Sherman Jones, a passionate local community organizer, draws a poignant parallel between Ike's story and the biblical tale of Ezekiel's dry bones. "How are we going to breathe life into those dry bones?" Jones asks in the film. This question resonates not only for Ike but for the entire city of Elyria.
Imbued with religious undertones, the film presents football as a near-sacred experience for Black Elyrians who once revered Ike Maxwell as their hero. A central question then emerges: how do you revive a fallen hero? The answer lies in the power of community. DRY BONES showcases communal strength, offering a moving testament to the enduring omnipotence of a relatively obscure Black community in the heart of a rust belt city in Ohio.