KINGSTON – GUARDING EDDY movie

Additional Information

This touching film is based on the real story of a developmentally disabled 18-year-old who dreams of playing for the Los Angeles Clippers basketball team.

Eddy Peterson (Brian Presley) runs away to Los Angeles from Arizona because his parents, especially his abusive father, don’t want the responsibility of taking care of him. Eddy is on the autism spectrum.

In Los Angeles, Eddy is hungry and without money and ends up in a homeless shelter. There he meets the center’s director, Carol (Anna Maria Horsford), who introduces him to his new “big brother,” Mike Jeffreys (Kiko Elsworth), a young, bitter African-American college basketball star who works at the shelter to perform court-ordered community service.

But Mike’s duty, taking care of Eddy, turns into a friendship as the two young men get to know each another.

In one scene, Eddy speaks of the mental and verbal abuse he suffered at home and how his father made him feel worthless because of his mental handicaps. He says he wants to play for the Clippers because he wants “to be somebody.”

At the same time, Eddy teaches Mike -- who was the Clippers’ top draft pick until he injured his knee and was dropped by the team -- a profound life lesson about holding on tight to your dreams.