Phorpa (The Cup) 3 and 1/2 Stars (Out of 4) Reviewed by Mac VerStandig critic@moviereviews.org http://www.moviereviews.org January 16, 2000
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The Cup, the first feature length film to ever be made in Bhutan, is a delightfully innocent piece that should be a strong contender in 1999's Best Foreign Film category.
Inspired by true events, The Cup is the story of an Indian monastery housing children with assorted international roots. The newest arrivals, Palden (Kunsang Nyima) and Nyima (Pema Tshundup) parted with their parents and were smuggled across the Tibetan border to the monastery so they could freely study Buddhism. The film touches upon the obvious politics of this delicate situation, but wisely shies away from handling the issue too seriously, something that would likely deduct from an otherwise lighthearted movie.
Awaiting the two new arrivals is Orygen (Jamyang Lodro), a self-confident and adventurous 14-year-old monk. Orygen has his own little near-religious cult that is celebrating its holiest of events which only occurs once every four year: The World Cup of soccer. Soon Ronaldo's biggest fan finds himself and his pals in a bind when they are caught sneaking out to watch part of the aforementioned tournament one night and are threatened with expulsion should they ever do so again. But the crafty Orygen wouldn't let the approaching final match pass by without his audience, and soon a surprisingly innocent plot is hatched.
One of the more fascinating aspects of The Cup is how the 1998 setting and the century old Buddhist traditions coexist. Orygen's wardrobe is 2500 years old, but underneath he wears a soccer jersey. His walls are covered with a magazine clipped shrine to the sport, but he studies religion in bed. The list goes on.
Nearly all the young monks in the monastery find a certain fascination with soccer that goes beyond the concept of men fighting over a checkered ball. The singing of the National Anthems is a key point to the multi-national boys and the athletes on the field are truly ambassadors of their native lands.
The Cup is a very sweet film that should be well received by audiences that aren't deterred by subtitles. An upcoming release in the USA will likely lead to public note and boosted box office revenue can be expected should the country of Bhutan win an Oscar for their freshman attempt at the art. And even if no awards are collected, the nation's sophomore film will be eagerly anticipated.
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