In the mid 1950s, the Chinese Red Army invaded Tibet, killing more than
1.2 million Tibetans and destroying more than 10,000 monasteries. Despite
hardship and danger, many Tibetan families still secretly send their
children away to foreign countries in the hope of providing them with a
traditional Bhuddhist education.
A slow and almost incandescent film, The Cup follows two young Tibetan
boys, Palden and Nyima, arriving at a Tibetan monastery-in-exile nestled in
the foothills of the Himalayas and receiving their ordination into monastic
life. But once formalities are completed, the boys discover that a
secret football fever is running through the hallowed hallways as the World Cup
is on.
Orygen, Palden's room-mate, is a fearless and cheeky 14 year-old
football-obsessed monk. Along with his faithful sidekick Lodo, he
involves Palden in a midnight misadventure to see a semi-final World Cup match at
a local shop. They are caught in the act by the Abbot's sidekick Geko,
with expulsion from the monastery looming as a result.
Whilst the wise, compassionate Abbot and his faithful but frazzled Geko
try to come to terms with the football-mad monks, the World Cup final looms
with Ronaldo and Zidane resplendent in all their glory. A solution must be
found.
The subject matter of The Cup deals matter-of-factly with the issue of
exile and all its insecurities, especially the constant emphasis on the
choices that exiles face. For example, how does one maintain ancient traditions
and identity in the face of the challenges of the overwhelming outside world?
Despite these noteworthy philosophical and political debate, The Cup
suffers from naiveté. Avoiding the desire or necessity for speed and purpose, it instead whimsically settles on the tastes and textures of the dramas.
But the images fail to resonate, with the result that the film feels too
lightweight, despite its serious subject material. This is a film which
aspires to greatness, but fails to leave its audience with that glorious
feeling that some of the world's mysteries have been explained whilst
simultaneously leaving all those mysteries intact.
The Cup is instead an insufficient and unsatisfactory encounter with the
Tibetan spirit and way of life and, for that matter, an inadequate
portrayal of the appeal of the World Cup.
Reviewed by Jovan Ilic
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