What is a game? A quick search reveals a game to be, a form of play or sport, especially a competitive one played according to rules and decided by skill, strength, or luck; but sometimes they transcend beyond these qualities. Recently Netflix added the movie The Beautiful Game, astory of futbol or known to us (US) as soccer of unlikely players competing in the Homeless World Cup in Roma. The game is played 4 on 4 with small goals on turf in an enclosed field made up of unique players.
Vinny, the main character, finds himself down on us luck living out his car and not being the father he deems worthy. The coach, Mal, is very well known in England and has intentions of making amends from his own loss by giving back to the boys, especially Vinny. But Vinny fights the healing by shunning his teammates when he learns of their troubles. Nathan, an ex-addict who has a shine for Vinny tries his best to open his heart but he can’t pierce his armor. Even when he directly confronts him about how beautiful he is on the pitch but as soon as Vinny exits the world spins unfairly.
The rest of England’s national team is made-up of a detergent gambler, a Syrian refugee, a man-boy, and an irresponsible father, pursuing perfection in an imperfect world. The hero’s journey unfolds as tensions mount on the field and Vinny scolds his teammates for having no commitment. Mal takes off his belt so to speak and let’s the star player know that he can question their tactics, skills, etc.; but he can never question their commitment.
The commitment Aldar, from the Kurish part of Syria, lost not only his whole family but the town and if he where to go back he would be executed. “He play’s for England because it’s the only place he can call home,” Mal explains. Vinny is starting to understand and accept why Aldar is always so precise or obsessed, “if I keep my mind busy with other thoughts there is no room for the bad ones.” But he still isn’t ready to accept his own circumstances.
He refuses to share a room with Nathan and instead sleeps on a bench in the park because Nathan takes methadone for balance. “Real players don’t take drugs,” Vinny sounds off at Nathan. Because of his admiration for Vinny he stops and ends up going home in a stupor. Something that aches in Vinny’s spirit.
The South African club is headed by a nun who brings the comic relief and lessons of a motherly figure. For example, one of the players’ visas is not valid and can’t board the flight. She responds saying, “you should deport him then. He already has a ticket to Rome” and she prays. The airline worker gives and Protasia, the nun, says “thank you.” The woman responds, “you’re welcome.” “I wasn’t thanking you, I was thanking him for helping you see.” But she is drawn to Vinny because the South African team forfeited their match against England arriving late encountering him storming out on his team.
She compliments his skills and says something about being a pro, exclaiming her thanks to the Lord for sending her such a man. Vinny can’t help but agree to play South Africa without his teams consent and England gets crushed. The thoughts of failure ensue to drowned his potential and guide his drive. Running away again the viewer is finally pervy to his story, a player on the books at New Ham but cut. This trauma caused him isolation for himself and reality as Nathan spoke earlier, “you’re afraid of yourself.”
Unable to enter the grounds for the 3rd place match has the reinforcement Vinny has become so accustomed to, “not good enough, not worthy, etc.” while the viewer hears his thoughts as he runs the streets of an ancient city as many men before him. But redemption finds itself full circle in the journey.
Earlier when he speaks to his daughter and finds out her presentation at school is on him in the Homeless World Cup, he loses his shit; feeling exposed as loser (insert Trump loser, ha). He then declares his past on New Ham, that life’s not fair to his teammates. This causes one teammate to blast on him, “you think your better then us cause you can kick a ball.” But the environment finds acceptance in a shave. “I was a barber,” Aldar chimes in. “What,” as tempers process emotion. “I was a barber in Syria,” he says again. “Would anyone like a shave?”
The Beautiful Game feels good! The message at the end was, “we don’t save ourselves, we save each other.” Perfection in a game can be found with leverage. Embracing that one can find themselves very weak and asking for strength in others; a hard lesson for the ego. Skill, competition, and teammates make a game; one that is majestic as a LeBron led Cavs team.
“1,2,3, hard work! 4,5,6, Together!”
The beauty we all have access to can be found in games, if we choose to play as one.
