Africa United

This film was given quite a lot of publicity in the press before it was released, with mention made of the director's missionary roots. We went to see it on Tuesday in the scruffiest cinema I've been in, but then I don't go often. Maybe because it was a late afternoon showing, we had to find a seat that wasn't littered with popcorn and discarded drinks cartons. To think that many years ago my school had used this venue for its annual Speech Day. However, in spite of this and a flickery screen, we enjoyed the film. It's unusual but then Africa isn't Europe, so you'd expect a few shocks and reality checks with child soldiers and child sex workers, and Aids also featuring largely.
Sadly the film is being pulled from some cinemas today as it wasn't a box office success. You'll see some reviews on this link. Perhaps it's problem is the mixed audience it's aimed at. It's billed as a '12', a family film, but I guess not everyone would appreciate such things as the opening shot for their children, of a condom being inflated for use as a football. To me it seemed funny and perfectly plausible, given the African ingenuity for recycling.
If you get the chance, go and see it, or rent the DVD. You may find subtitles useful. The title is well chosen, a bunch of kids, pulling together as a team in spite of their varied backgrounds, and achieving their goal, literally and figuratively. A metaphor for something else, maybe...........