Kids Cup (1h 29min.)

Ambitious young football players from China, Brazil, the United States, Palestine and Norway have trained for months to participate in the Norway Cup, a high-level international youth football tournament. This ensemble film with an impressive soundtrack and fast editing follows various players – all about fourteen years old. From their homeland, where they pack their bags and train one last time, all the way to Oslo, where they settle in their lodgings upon arrival, play matches and hang out with teammates. They have conversations with parents, trainers and friends, and play as if their lives depend on it.

But this chronologically structured documentary is about more than just winning or losing. The teenagers all have their own social and cultural baggage, and some are concerned about family or circumstances in their own country. Friendships deepen, disappointments alternate with feelings of euphoria, and rebellion and raging hormones are inevitable. These boys’ stories come together through the same tension and collective excitement of this grand event.