November 15, 2023
FILM: THE HOME GAME
DIRECTED BY: SMARI GUNN, LOGI SIGURSVEINSSON
RATING: 3 ½ out of 4 stars
By Dan Pal
One of the things I love about soccer is that it’s a game played around the world regardless of socio-economic status. A ball and a net are needed, and yes, a few players too. It is a sport for everyone. (Well, you do have to run a little…) The new documentary The Home Game, which is having its U.S. premiere at DOC NYC, showcases the spirit of a small Iceland village, Hellissandur (population 369), trying to finally host a nationally recognized home game. It had been a dream of some of its residents back in the early 1990s to create a pitch (field) where locals could compete against other teams in the country. They had a potential opportunity to play one at home in 1996 but lost the first game (10-0) to another Icelandic team, knocking them out of contention. Since then, no recognized FA Cup team has played on the pitch. Can they finally make it happen?
This is a wonderful film for anyone who loves sports or a good small town story. Kari Vidarsson, the son of the man who spearhead the creation of the pitch back in the 90s, decides to make his father’s dream come alive again and create a new team to compete. Because this is such a small town, what Vidarsson comes up with is a team made up of a fisherman, a 15-year old boy, players from the 1996 team who are now older and out of shape, and a father and son duo. He also invites a known Icelandic female athlete (Freydis Bjarnadottir) to play. Current rules though don’t let women play on a team with men. Can these rules be broken?
What follows is a very light hearted but determined group of people attempting to train for the big game. It should be noted this would be a nationally sanctioned team and, as luck would have it, they end up having to compete against a Division One team. Still, the goal never dies! Like every good film though there has to be conflict. Vidarsson has to deal with a frozen pitch, car tracks that have been left on it, treating it so that it can be played on, and of course, the female player issue.
What stands out about this film is how well this community comes together. Their attitudes are nothing but positive, if a bit anxiety-ridden. Everyone involved is good-natured and possesses a positive spirit. They know how difficult the challenge is but they persevere anyway. It’s so refreshing to see a film like this that is so warm-hearted from start to finish. These are people who are realistic yet up to the challenges that await them.
By the final scenes I felt like I was a member of this community. If not, I wanted to be! Yes, we’ve seen so many films like this (the about to be released, Next Goal Wins) and even a few TV series (Welcome to Wrexham, Ted Lasso, anyone?) but this one just hits at the heart of it all. People come together regardless of age or gender to create an experience they will remember forever. This is a bit of a David and Goliath story for sure, but no matter if you think you’ve seen one like this before, you’ll still end up feeling something really special and moving by the end.
The Home Game is currently streaming via the DOC NYC festival site until November 26th. For tickets go to https://www.docnyc.net/film/the-home-game/
FILM: THE HOME GAME
DIRECTED BY: SMARI GUNN, LOGI SIGURSVEINSSON
RATING: 3 ½ out of 4 stars
By Dan Pal
One of the things I love about soccer is that it’s a game played around the world regardless of socio-economic status. A ball and a net are needed, and yes, a few players too. It is a sport for everyone. (Well, you do have to run a little…) The new documentary The Home Game, which is having its U.S. premiere at DOC NYC, showcases the spirit of a small Iceland village, Hellissandur (population 369), trying to finally host a nationally recognized home game. It had been a dream of some of its residents back in the early 1990s to create a pitch (field) where locals could compete against other teams in the country. They had a potential opportunity to play one at home in 1996 but lost the first game (10-0) to another Icelandic team, knocking them out of contention. Since then, no recognized FA Cup team has played on the pitch. Can they finally make it happen?
This is a wonderful film for anyone who loves sports or a good small town story. Kari Vidarsson, the son of the man who spearhead the creation of the pitch back in the 90s, decides to make his father’s dream come alive again and create a new team to compete. Because this is such a small town, what Vidarsson comes up with is a team made up of a fisherman, a 15-year old boy, players from the 1996 team who are now older and out of shape, and a father and son duo. He also invites a known Icelandic female athlete (Freydis Bjarnadottir) to play. Current rules though don’t let women play on a team with men. Can these rules be broken?
What follows is a very light hearted but determined group of people attempting to train for the big game. It should be noted this would be a nationally sanctioned team and, as luck would have it, they end up having to compete against a Division One team. Still, the goal never dies! Like every good film though there has to be conflict. Vidarsson has to deal with a frozen pitch, car tracks that have been left on it, treating it so that it can be played on, and of course, the female player issue.
What stands out about this film is how well this community comes together. Their attitudes are nothing but positive, if a bit anxiety-ridden. Everyone involved is good-natured and possesses a positive spirit. They know how difficult the challenge is but they persevere anyway. It’s so refreshing to see a film like this that is so warm-hearted from start to finish. These are people who are realistic yet up to the challenges that await them.
By the final scenes I felt like I was a member of this community. If not, I wanted to be! Yes, we’ve seen so many films like this (the about to be released, Next Goal Wins) and even a few TV series (Welcome to Wrexham, Ted Lasso, anyone?) but this one just hits at the heart of it all. People come together regardless of age or gender to create an experience they will remember forever. This is a bit of a David and Goliath story for sure, but no matter if you think you’ve seen one like this before, you’ll still end up feeling something really special and moving by the end.
The Home Game is currently streaming via the DOC NYC festival site until November 26th. For tickets go to https://www.docnyc.net/film/the-home-game/