Pelada
Documentary Feature, Documentary Competition
D: Luke Boughen, Rebekah Fergusson, Gwendolyn Oxenham, Ryan White
Sometimes deserving and hardworking people will not succeed – at least in the way they had hoped. This four-person-directed sports documentary discusses that topic as it follows the travels of two soccer players who never turned pro. The featured athletes and co-directors, Boughen and Oxenham, travel the world playing pickup games with fellow amateur soccer aficionados. They play with old men in Brazil whose post-game drinking constitutes their “third half.” They play with prisoners in Bolivia. They play with impoverished residents of Villa 31 in Argentina. And they learn about new forms of the game from “freestyle” players in China. They visit places like Tehran, where soccer helps connect politically divided people, and they join a game in Jerusalem, where soccer unsuccessfully bridges cultural divides. But everywhere, they meet people pursuing their passion for soccer without any adoring fans or bright stadium lights.
Friday, March 19, 3:30pm, Lamar 2
This article appears in March 19 • 2010.