From the basketball court to the party scene, Alex leads a youth club in the South Western Sydney suburbs – until the dream that brought his community together pulls him apart. ‘Operations from the Bottom’ follows Alex and his friends over 8 dramatic years.
At 19, Alex is a basketballer coached by Derek Brower, a former NCAA player from Syracuse. When Derek returns to the U.S., Alex’s basketball dream ends, and he works as a cabinet-maker to support his family.
Alex and his tight-knit group of African Australian friends from refugee backgrounds unite to launch a youth-led social club, throwing large parties for the local youth. After early success, they work hard to rise above the financial and operational difficulties to chase their dream. But Alex’s dream becomes his downfall. The story hits a tragic turning point with incidents that derail his life. He spirals into drug-induced psychosis and is arrested for a minor role in a money laundering operation. After his release, Alex struggles with a mental health crisis, leading to a cycle of hospitalisations in mental health wards.
Years later, Derek – the only father figure in his life – returns to Australia, and with his background in youth work, tries to help Alex. But Alex begins wandering the streets, filming his life on his phone, and after an arrest on a minor charge he is sent to Villawood Detention Centre, as he is not an Australian citizen. Alex spends years facing deportation. Human rights lawyers take on his case, securing his release and are working to help him achieve freedom in Australia.
This personal documentary follows Alex and his friends, revealing a rarely seen journey of a young person navigating a mental health crisis while facing deportation. His dream gives way to survival, yet through it all his optimism – and the way he sees the world – carries him forward, as it does for everyone in this film. It’s a story of survival and spirit – of finding hope, even when the dream falls apart.
