Luke
stu-kicks
CibbuanoThe Cup
November 22nd 2006 02:03
Every now and then a foreign film comes along; a foreign film in a video case glossy enough for me to think 'this might not be so boring'. Sometimes I regret picking up some films, some times I don't. 'The Cup' is Tibetan film (filmed and set in Bhutan out of political necessity) about monks and soccer. Not your average Hollywood fare, I admit, but I guess that's what makes it all the more appealing...
It's a quiet and gentle film, centreing of the life of young Tibetan monks. It's realistic in it's depiction of the mischievousness of teenage boys, and lets the non-Buddhist-monk half of the world know that devoting yourself to religion isn't as dull as we might think. The young monks featured here are soccer fans. They sneak out to watch games on a local black-and-white television, put posters up on their walls, and discuss their favourite players and teams, whilst dodging their teacher and master, Geko, who is always out to catch them skiving on their studies.
It's not as frivolous and light-hearted as it sounds. The current political struggles of Tibet are not ignored, though they aren't particularly an agenda to be forced down our throats either - the film simply represents the reality of the situation that exiled Tibetan Buddhists face. I found myself so absorbed by the simplistic nature of the story; the oddities of east-meets-west culture, that I was smiling with the characters.
You'll find it hard to pick a more joyous film than this. It defines the term 'good-natured', and is as entertaining as it is unique.
TRIVIA: No professional actors took part in this film, all the monks are played by real monks. It cost virtually nothing to make, being almost a documentary in terms of location/sets/actors.
It is the first and only film so far to have ever been made by the all-Buddhist nation of Bhutan.
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Maybe some have been made since (I haven't heard of any), but it's at least the first.
Guess we'll have to wait a while for the Bhutanese Film Festival.