World Cup: watch movies with female athletes – 07/14/2023 – Ilustrada
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Next Thursday (20), New Zealand and Norway will take the field in Auckland, at 4 am (Brasília time). It is the opening game of the Women’s Football World Cup, played in New Zealand and Australia. Brazil debuts on Monday (24), at 8 am, against Panama, in Adelaide.
To inspire you to watch the Warriors of Brazil, the Lionesses of England, the Copper Queens of Zambia, the Football Ferns of New Zealand, the Matildas of Australia, the Nadeshiko of Japan, the Atlas Lionesses of Morocco and the Megan Rapinoe’s team (the US team doesn’t have a nickname, unfortunately), here’s a selection of films (and a miniseries) about female athletes and their incredible feats.
“LFG”
In 2019, the US women’s soccer team made history in different ways: on the field, it became four-time world champion with an undefeated campaign and conceded just three goals in seven games. Shortly before the tournament, the players did something unheard of off the pitch: they sued the Football Federation, the federal body that manages the sport in the United States, on charges of gender discrimination.
The story of that fight is the subject of this documentary, which followed the 28 athletes who participated in the process from the beginning, highlighting some who worked more actively in the negotiations, among them Megan Rapinoe. The striker, who during the World Cup fought a small declaration war with then-president Donald Trump, became the face of the team, with her eloquence, charisma and willingness to learn to be on the right side of history. Rapinoe announced that at the end of this year she will retire from the sport, and will compete in her last world championships in the coming weeks.
It is a pity that the documentary ends before the outcome of the action, but it serves as a good introduction to the quarrel, presenting the arguments side by side with quite didacticism.
Available on HBOMax, 95 min.
“War of the Sexes”
The life of Billie Jean King, portrayed in this film by directors Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris (“Little Miss Sunshine”), is a mandatory context for any story about gender equality in sports.
The narrative focuses on a particularly cinematic period in the tennis player’s biography, during which she started a revolution in the sport. In 1970, King (Emma Stone) leads a group of players, alongside Gladys Helman (Sarah Silverman), and founds a parallel circuit of tournaments with fairer remuneration for women — at that time, the prize pool for men was 12 times the women’s at the US Open.
Three years later, months after King founded the WTA, an association that still represents players today, she starred in one of the biggest sporting events in history. She entered the court against Bobby Riggs (Steve Carrell), 55, a former tennis player who claimed to be able to defeat her, even though he was 26 years older. King won the “Battle of the Sexes” three sets to none in front of 30,000 people at the Astrodome in Houston and an estimated 90 million spectators worldwide.
The film shows us that King already knew in the 70s something that Megan Rapinoe demonstrates in the documentary “LFG”: you have to win to become undeniable.
Available on Star+, 121 min.
“Matildas: On the Road to Worlds”
The Australia women’s national football team, affectionately known as the “Matildas” (the boys are the “Socceroos”), get the VIP treatment on Disney+ with this documentary mini-series about the team’s journey since the announcement of the selection of the World Cup host countries from 2023.
Perpetually on the ‘almost there’ (they finished fourth at the last Olympics after two heartbreaking defeats), the Matildas dream of winning the worlds on home soil and inspiring a generation of girls and boys, led by team star Sam Kerr.
The Chelsea striker, who already has 90 goals in 116 games for the London team, is not the only focus of the documentary, which also follows the newly hired coach, the Swede Tony Gustafsson, and other players, from veterans like the midfielder Katrina Gorry — who returns to the national team after maternity leave — to Manchester City’s young and talented striker Mary Fowler.
Available on Disney+. Six episodes of 45 min each.
“The Newbie”
“‘Black Swan’ of rowing” is the shortest and straightest definition for “The New Girl”, the first feature by director and screenwriter Lauren Hadaway, even if it is not there on the same level as Darren Aronofsky’s film.
Alex (Isabelle Fuhrman, from the horror “The Orphan”) has just entered college and decides to join the rowing team. With a competitive and obsessive personality, she dedicates more and more time and energy to the sport, alienating friends and seeing her academic performance deteriorate. On the other side is Jamie, another freshman who finds in the rowing team the chance to win a scholarship to continue studying. More naturally gifted for the sport, Jamie becomes the target of Alex’s mixed hatred and admiration.
Available on HBOMax. 94 min.
“I, Tonya”
Directed by Craig Gillespie, the film presents the (real?) story of how Tonya Harding (Margot Robbie), one of the best figure skaters of her generation, became infamous for her connection to an attack on her rival Nancy Kerrigan (Caitlin Carver). , who was injured in the leg exiting a rink in Detroit, Michigan, in 1994.
A police investigation revealed that the crime was masterminded by Harding’s ex-husband, Jeff Gillooly (Sebastian Stan), and his friend, Shawn Eckardt (Paul Walter Hauser). Despite initially denying any involvement in the attack, the skater later accepted a plea deal for helping to cover up the crime and was banned from the sport.
The film shows the difficult conditions in which Harding lived, under abuse from her mother (Allison Janney, Oscar winner) and violence from her husband, without money, technical training or Kerrigan’s refinement, but does not pinpoint her guilt or innocence.
Available on Netflix, 120 min.
“The hot ones”
A classic of teen comedies, it tells the story of Torrance Shipman (Kirsten Dunst), a cheerleader newly named captain of her team, the Bulls at Rancho Carne High School in San Diego. Shortly after the start of his term, Torrance discovers that his predecessor stole the choreography of the team of a poorer school in a black neighborhood in Los Angeles, the Clovers of East Compton. Now Torrance must race to come up with a new and original dance to keep the Toros at the national championships, with the help of new friend Missy Pantone (Eliza Dushku).
Available on Prime Video, Paramount+ and PlutoTV (free, with ads). 98 min
“King Richard: Creating Champions”
Speaking of Compton, it is from the public tennis courts of this Los Angeles neighborhood that two of the biggest names in the history of the sport have sprouted — Venus (Saniyya Sidney) and Serena Williams (Demi Singleton). “King Richard” is named after their father (Will Smith), but is ultimately the story of how Venus, the eldest, rises from a gang-ridden neighborhood to the top of world tennis with her talent and her father’s eccentric and relentless guidance, and how his attention to her shaped the tennis player Serena would become – even better and more dominant than her sister.
Available on HBOMax. 138 min.
“Fantastic girl”
Drew Barrymore’s directorial debut stars Elliot Page as a Texas teen who discovers freedom by joining a roller derby team. Her mother, Brooke (Marcia Gay Harden), is a former beauty pageant contestant and wants her daughter to follow the same path. Bliss (Page), however, prefers the ecstasy of fistfight over rollerblading and a brief romance with a rock star.
The best part of the film is the supporting cast, especially Bliss’s teammates. Kristen Wiig (“Bridesmaid Mission”), Zoë Bell (“Death Proof”), rapper Eve and Barrymore herself are part of the Hurl Scouts, while Juliette Lewis (“Yellowjackets”) skates for the rival team, Holy Rollers .
Available for rent on iTunes, GooglePlay and Amazon. 111 min.
“A Very Special Team”
I already wrote in another issue about the series based on the film, so here I’m limited to talking about the original. Inspired by the true story of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, created during World War II, the film centers on the story of the Rockford Peaches, a baseball team reluctantly led by Dottie Hinson (Geena Davis) and coached by Jimmy Duggan (Tom Hanks). Also wearing the Peaches shirt are Kit (Lori Petty), Dottie’s sister, Mae Mordabito (Madonna), Doris Murphy (Rosie O’Donnell) and other people whose faces will make you say “look, it’s that woman from that other thing”.
Directed by Penny Marshall (“I Want to Be Great”), the film has that magic touch that makes the viewer root for the most mutt-ridden team, and ends with a controversial move that is still debated today.
Available on HBOMax, 128 min.
what’s coming
The news on the main streaming platforms
“Bluey”
Ten new episodes from the third season arrived on Disney+ on Wednesday (12).
“Restaurants at the End of the World”
Chef Kristen Kish, who will be the new presenter of Top Chef in place of Padma Lakshmi, travels to inhospitable places to discover restaurants. On Disney+ since Wednesday (12). Four episodes of 45 min each.
“Closed Circle”
Six-part miniseries by Steven Soderbergh about the investigation of a failed kidnapping attempt and the secrets it reveals. Two episodes a week, on HBOMax, starting this Thursday (13).
“Surviving in Style”
Comedy series starring Michelle Buteau and based on her book. Fat, black and unwillingly single, Mavis is determined to find success as a fashion designer and put her life in order, with the help of her friends. Available on Netflix from this Thursday (13). Eight half-hour episodes.
“Bird Box: Barcelona”
Spin-off of the film with Sandra Bullock from 2018, now in Spanish version. It arrives on Netflix this Friday (14). 110 min
See before it’s too late
A movie or series tip that will soon be released from streaming platforms
“The Great Witness”
Robert Bresson’s classic about the saga of the donkey Balthazar leaves Mubi next Friday (21). 91 min.
“Casa, Lar”
The eight-season series about the whiny doctor solving mysteries leaves HBOMax on July 31. 177 episodes of 45 min each.
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