DVD Review: ‘Kicking It’

I love coming across these little-known documentaries about little-known topics that fall under the “truth is stranger than fiction” heading. ‘Kicking It’ may be a film that most have never heard of about a topic that most have never heard of, but it’s a very touching and interesting movie that tells a riveting human story about some of the least fortunate residents of ours and many other countries.

‘Kicking It’ is a documentary that follows a handful of teams, focusing on  six select players, who come from all over the world to compete in the World Homeless Cup tournament of football, or “soccer” as we Americans refer to it. The competition is being held in Cape Town, South Africa and the film follows these players through the trails on their way to the finals. The players range in skill and in age, including a man from Spain in his late-50’s (maybe older) who once played for Real Madrid in his youth, but became homeless after entering a life of petty crime.

Written and directed by Susan Koch, this wonderful little sports documentary exposes us to a whole new breed of athletes in an area of society we may not have expected.  ‘Kicking It’ does a fantastic job at portraying these individuals as human beings with talents and struggles, no different than the rest of us, except that we have homes and they do not.

‘Kicking It’ premiered at Sundance on January 19 and began a very limited run in theaters on June 13, 2008. The DVD released on September 9, 2008.

[rating:4/5]