Review: ‘Pelada’ Is A Poignant Love Letter To Soccer Futbol & Youth

With the World Cup in full swing, the world is definitely feeling futbol fever. So, what better a time to release a film which follows two soccer lovers country to country, finding little pick up games where you’d least expect them? Unfortunately, many people (at least in the States) will forget about soccer once the Cup is awarded, and we’ll have to wait another four years for the fever of excitement to kick in again. For those who watch more soccer than a dozen or so games every few years, you’ll find a lot to connect with in “Pelada.”

Passing into adulthood is a frightening thing. Life becomes bloated with responsibility and bills. It’s nice to have escapism every once in awhile, even if to catch a glimpse of what life used to be like before that fateful day, where one crossed over to the adult world. “Pelada” is as much of a tale about the great game of soccer as it is a diary of two characters that weren’t ready for the real world just yet and had to see if for themselves to even attempt to live in it. The film follows Luke Boughen and Gwendolyn Oxenham (who are also credited as directors along with Rebekah Ferguson and Ryan White), a couple who have a long history in the sport of soccer. Both played throughout their childhood and teen years, meeting at Duke University as they played for the school for the duration of their education. However, a short time after graduation, the two found their lives to be relatively empty without the sport being a constant in their lives. There were pick-up games here and there, but it wasn’t enough for the two, with Luke putting off law school and working on billboards and Gwendolyn stumped on her first book, living on a writing grant. The two decided to travel the world with the plan to find and join various pick-up games.

The film plays like a perfect manifestation of their point of view, as their brief forays into each country are strictly about soccer and nothing else. The two, high on soccer and oblivious to any sort of danger, stroll into prisons and seedy villas to look for a game. The viewer is given a brief back story to a particular player, team, or area. There’s one instance where the two decide to buy scalped tickets to a major game, only to discover that they bought fakes. They’re taken in by the police, though once the authorities realize they’re perfectly harmless, they are released. Normally, it would be difficult not to judge these people for not being smarter, or it would at least be easy to pity them, but that’s not the case. While Luke and Gwendolyn aren’t living in a closed world, they are legitimately interested in how the game that shaped their lives shape people in other living situations. They know very well the politics and dangers of each area, but choose to ignore the fear and seek the joy that the game brings. It may seem like naive behavior, but we’re right alongside of them, and never once are they accosted or taken advantage of. The biggest trouble they get into is wasting money on fake tickets, and even that is shrugged off. There’s no use dwelling on one jerk-off, there are more people to meet and compete with.

For the most part, the directors stick to bare bones visuals. It is practically devoid of beautiful cinematography, as the film is shot on simple digital cameras without any sort of filters and doesn’t stray too far from the games. Although many directors as of late have been playing the “home movie” card to varying quality, this is one of the few where the technique is successful. It only strengthens our connection with the two “main characters,” as the act of simply watching (in this case, immersing ourselves in) a home movie means that you are close with the people in it. The foundation is laid before we even start watching. Deep down inside, there is some yearning for these beautiful places to get the respect they deserve, and while they do capture some beautiful scenery, it’s nothing more than your parents would take if you were on a trip across the country. It would’ve been very easy to spend much time on the beautiful areas, but that’s not the point of the film. The directors stick to their guns, and while enough time is spent establishing location and where these players live, they don’t overdo it.

The most interesting cultural moment in the film, which is conveniently saved for last, is when Luke and Gwendolyn head to Israel. They find a game which includes an Arab team versus the Jewish team, and each of them take a team to play on. Tensions are high and a fight nearly breaks out over whether or not a certain goal should be counted. It’s at this point that the two can’t ignore the politics of the region, and though they distance themselves from the problem that arises, they are absolutely affected by it. Gwendolyn mentions that the common theory of everyone being equal on the field and leaving their problems outside is complete bullshit. This is the first time in the film that the country’s politics negatively affected the game, proving that some things cannot just be shaken off before sport. The game they played was much more than a friendly competitive pick-up, each side had something to prove. Like the couple, we don’t judge this situation but observe it, not taking sides but acknowledging the silliness of the situation and how long it is taking to resolve. These are things they can’t just leave on the sidelines, and sport allows them to blow off steam just as much as it encourages their negative behavior through competition. We had already seen prisoners play with no problem, but would it have been different if those prisoners played the guards? Or if the people in the impoverished regions played the higher class? It certainly would be, and if anything this serves as a wake-up call to the two, encouraging them to take their lives off hold before their unresolved problems bleed onto the field and interfere with the game.

It’s quite easy for a cynic to hate the film. It’s true that these two, with their writing grants and funds (which they do, in fact, raise on their own) to go across country, are more privileged than most. They are absolutely more privileged to even be able to make a film like this, and this should be apparent as they enter different countries . But they don’t think about it, so why should we? Maybe the film won’t leave an imprint on the brain, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a curious take on the progression to adulthood. It could very well be a roundabout way to enter the real world (in this case, they entered the real world, deemed themselves not ready, and came back much more prepared), but who are we to judge? People have their own paths, and this happened to be theirs. The film is a great representation of a difficult time in their lives, and they are without humility, just like they should be. “Pelada” is now available on Movies on Demand cable channels nation wide. [B+]