Oscars 2015: "See You in Montevideo"

Milos Bikovic

World Cup soccer now rivals the Olympics in popularity. Some would even argue that the quadrennial competition of the sport many fans fondly call “The Beautiful Game” is the biggest sporting event in the world but I doubt if many of the present-day fans of the sport are aware of the game’s humble beginnings.

“See You in Montevideo”, directed by Serbian filmmaker Dragan Bjelogrlic, takes us back to 1930 to the first world cup competition held in the Uruguayan city of Montevideo. The film is based on the experiences of the Yugoslavian team as they compete against powerhouses Brazil and Uruguay.

But the movie is not just about soccer. It also tackles personal stories of some of the players on the team. One team member falls in love with a local woman. Another ambitious player chases after a notorious scout so he could play in America. There’s also the side story of the team’s star player who loses his love of the game when he encounters a group of children afflicted with leprosy. On top of the all these, the film also suggests that the first world cup was rigged in favor of the home team.

The film does not lack any entertainment value but one week after watching the movie it curiously does not invite much affectionate recollection from this writer. Sure, it offers a lot of scenes that are genuinely funny although some are bordering on slapstick thus rendering a few of the characters as mere caricatures. The subplot about Tirke and his girlfriend was hilarious and had moments of palpable tension but it, too, ultimately did not resonate much after.

The highlights of the film are the soccer matches and it is where I found the movie most wanting. The filmed sequences did not offer anything than just a mere retelling of what happened in real life. The camerawork and editing are not that memorable and no real suspense can be felt. For a movie that is supposed to celebrate the sport it depicts, it is rather expected that the matches be the best parts in the film.

The performances of the cast are admirable. The actors who portrayed the players looked their parts – I don’t know what I mean by this but they looked like they could play soccer. The production design and the costume seem authentic and are truly impressive.

"See You in Montevideo is the Serbian submission to the Oscars this year. The screening was organized by the European Film Promotion.

Rating: 3 ½ Stars