(War is waged by men, soccer is played by geniuses…)
CAST: Moshe Ivgy, Muhammed Bakri, Salim Dau, Baazum Zoamat.
DIRECTOR: Eran Riklis
WARNING: Some SPOILERS and one wistful World Cup trip - straight ahead…
IT’S LIKE THIS: On the eve of the 1982 World Cup in Barcelona, Israel invades Lebanon, leading to war. Israeli reservist Cohen is (Moshge Ivgy) is just a little pissed off about this because he’s been planning for the last two years to attend the World Cup. Unfortunately, the government has other plans for him and activates him for service, sending his ass into Lebanon with his other fellow soldiers. Things take a turn for the shittier. What could be shittier than planning a World Cup trip for over two years and then getting sent into war just as the tournament is about to begin? Well, Cohen and another Israeli soldier get captured by an bunch of Palestinians with the PLO, that’s what. So, basically, now Cohen is missing out on the World Cup AND is also a prisoner. Taken as hostage, Cohen thinks he’s pretty much fucked. Then he discovers that his captors love football, and ends up talking passionately about it with them. Then he finds out that they love Team Italia just as much as he does. Is there hope for Cohen after all?
THE DUDE (OR DUDETTE) MOST LIKELY TO SAVE THE DAY: Cohen, with all of his passion and love for football and Team Italia. It’s enough to almost turn the Palestinians into his friends.
EYE CANDY MOST LIKELY TO FIRE UP A WOODY: Muhammed Bakri as Ziad, the leader of the Palestinian group, is pretty smokin‘…
MOST INTENTIONALLY EXCITING SCENE: Whenever Cohen, Ziad, and the rest of the soldiers sit around and talk about football and how well Team Italia is doing in the 1982 World Cup.
MOST UNINTENTIONALLY EXCITING SCENE: Like I said, whenever Cohen, Ziad, and the rest of the soldiers sit around and talk about football and how well Team Italia is doing in the 1982 World Cup.
HOTTEST SCENE: Pretty much any scene with Muhammad Bakri in it. Is that guy a soldier or a model? Are all Palestinians this hot?
INQUIRING MINDS WANT TO KNOW: Will Cohen be released in time to attend the World Cup 1982 in Barcelona? Or will he continue to be held prisoner by the PLO dudes? Will Ziad help his new friend and let him escape? Can these friendships survive the war? Will football truly prove to be one of the universal languages? Why the fuck didn’t Cohen just go AWOL and jump on that plane to Barcelona? I would’ve. I so fucking would’ve…
WHY YOU SHOULD WATCH “CUP FINAL”: If you love soccer, soccer movies, and its power to bridge the gap between different nationalities - even during war…
WHY YOU MAY NOT ENJOY “CUP FINAL”: If you don’t like soccer, soccer movies, or subtitles. In which case, your loss…
FINAL ANALYSIS: As part of Soccer Week # 3, I had originally chosen JOYEUX NOEL, a French/German film that chronicled one night in WWII when warring German and Allied soldiers called a truce and played an almost magical game of soccer. Proving the power of the sport to bridge the gap between people and nations. Then I saw CUP FINAL, quite by chance, and decided to review this film instead. Don’t get me wrong… JOYEUX NOEL is a wonderful film, but CUP FINAL drives home the same message with more grit and melancholy.
The emotional fulcrum of CUP FINAL is the slow discovery of Cohen and Ziad and the rest of the PLO guys that they have the love of football and Team Italia in common. This draws them together and leads to something almost approaching respect and friendship. In the end, however, they are still soldiers at war with each other, and much suspense and sadness is generated by the question of whether or not these men’s friendship will survive - but also whether they themselves will live through the conflict.
I won’t spoil the ending for you, folks. I will say that all the actors, led by Moshge Ivgy and Muhammed Bakri, are excellent and, in some cases, heartbreaking. CUP FINAL drives home the lesson that friendship and shared passions are precious and never to be taken for granted. In a perfect world, one without war or politics, Cohen and Ziad would be good friends going down to the local stadium to catch a local match - or even traveling together to the World Cup to experience it first-hand. Their nationalities wouldn’t matter. Sadly, it’s not a perfect world.
By the way, Italy ended up winning the World Cup 1982. Cohen and Ziad would’ve been proud…
