The Cup

The story focuses on a group of monks in a Buddhist monastery who are avid football fanatics. Their love of the game gets them into trouble with the authorities of the monastery, who try to persuade them to concentrate on their studies.

The story is predictable, no surprises. But the setting of the story contrasts well with the zealousness with which the monks pursue football. This is a movie with contrasting themes, with a dash of plain humor mixed in. Good for those tired days, when you want to relax and enjoy a simple movie without needing to too get intellectually involved.

Phorpe or The Cup is probably the best foreign film I have ever seen, no kidding. It excels beyond a limit in every area, the acting from the young Budhist children are excellent, while the screenplay is brilliant and original. Phorpe (The Cup) is simply one of the best, most intriguing, and most original films I have seen in a long time.

In short, it is exactly the sort of movie New Zealand should be making. A funny, touching and exquisite picture that should be cherished.

Rating: 9

Tired of having to take your kids to formula movies from Hollywood? This terrific film is set in a world unfamiliar to most kids, yet they will discover that basic behavior is much the same everywhere. They will enjoy the familiar themes of school pranks, soccer mania, or group effort towards a "cause", but in an environment drastically different from the cliche American suburbia.

This film is an authentic look at the situation that many young Tibetan men and boys find themselves in following the Chinese occupation of Tibet. But the film doesn't dwell on Tibetan politics, it is a light-hearted and elegantly-simple film inspired by true events at a Tibetan monastery-in-exile in Bhutan, where young Buddhist monks develop an interest in the World Cup soccer final.

The Abbot of the monastery and the older Lamas just have no idea what soccer is, and there is a humorous scene where the old Lama is sleeping in the sun and the young monk Orgyen comes up to him:

Orgyen: "Do a prediction for us Lama"; Old Lama: "Can't you see I'm busy!"; Orgyen: "At least say prayers for France"; Old Lama: "Are they sick?!!?"

And when everyone has seen the World Cup final, the serious Buddhist message comes home, in a beautiful way...

"If a problem can be solved, why be unhappy? And if it cannot, what is the use of being unhappy?"

'The Cup' contrasts strongly with earlier big-budget, stylised, productions about Tibetan Buddhism such as 'Seven Years in Tibet' and 'Kundun'. It is in the same vein as 'Samsara', which is also a very good film.

PS Director Khyentse Norbu (who is said to be a re-incarnate Lama) also has a new movie out -- 'Travellers and Magicians' (2003).

In the 1950s, the Chinese invaded Tibet, killing one fifth of the six million inhabitants and destroying over 10,000 Buddhist monasteries. Today, Buddhism is strictly forbidden in Tibet and even owning a picture of the Dalai Lama is a crime. Consequently, many families send their children to monasteries-in-exile in India and Bhutan in order to receive a traditional Buddhist education. The Cup is set in such a monastery, at the time of last World Cup.

Orgyen (Jamyang Lodro) is a young monk who is obsessed with football. When he isn't pretending to be Ronaldo or discussing the World Cup in the middle of prayer, he is planning to see the next game in the local village without getting caught by Geko (Orgyen Tobgyal, Jamyang Lodro's father in real life), the father-figure disciplinarian of the monastery. With his friend Lodo (Neten Chokling), he quickly persuades new arrival Palden (Kunsang Nyima) to join them, while Geko and the Abbot (Lama Chonjor, real-life Abbot of Chokling Monastery, where The Cup was filmed) try to maintain discipline and fathom the rules of the game.

Directed by Khyentse Norbu, a first time feature director and important Buddhist figure himself, The Cup features an all-monk cast, none of whom had any acting experience prior to filming. Essentially a documentary about monastic life, The Cup nevertheless shows the realities of the Tibetans' political situation and combines serious issues with a more light-hearted style. It is genuinely witty in places and with great performances from Jamyang Lodro and Orgyen Tobgyal, always a pleasure to watch. The foothills of the Himalayas are beautifully photographed and the score is appropriately inobtrusive. On what is usually described as a 'shoestring budget' ('sandal-strap' might be more appropriate) Khyentse Norbu has created a lovely little film that deserves all the success it can get.