Understanding Soccer

World Cup at a Tibetan Monastery in Bhutan

A Tibetan monastery in the foothills of the Himalayan Mountains is not a likely setting for a movie focusing on the thrills of World Cup soccer, but Bhutanese filmmaker Khyentse Norbu has chosen exactly that backdrop for his first movie.

The Cup (2002), based on a true story, explores a different world by gently lifting the shrouds surrounding the lives of some Buddhist monks.
I think maybe older generations might not understand what I do, says the Bhutanese monk turned filmmaker.

While the soccer World Cup is being played in France, two young Tibetan refugees arrive at a monastery/boarding school in exile in India. Its atmosphere of serene contemplation is somewhat disrupted by soccer fever, the chief instigator being a young student, the soccer enthusiast Orgyen.

Prevented by various circumstances from seeing the Cup finals on television in a nearby village, Orgyen sets out to organize the rental of a TV set for the monastery. The enterprise becomes a test of solidarity, resourcefulness and friendship for the students, while the Lama, head of the monastery, contemplates the challenges of teaching the word of Buddha in a rapidly changing world.

The Cup is available on Netflix. It is a totally enjoyable movie.