Foosball

The Argentine animation film Foosball could just as well had its origin in the CGI giants DreamWorks Animation or Pixar, though is not so. The film came out of the blue in their home country, sweeping competing movies like Despicable Me 2 and Monsters University of track, and ended up at the top of Argentine cinema list for 2013. Argentineans of course love football, so it may not come as a surprise when a family-friendly comedy with the round leather ball in center catched on.

We get to know Amadeo, a shy boy with no sort of abilities – not good in football either – but an expert in foosball! He practices all day long on a worn out foosball table at the local brown tavern, charming regulars as well as his beloved Laura. But a rival emerges; alfa male and football hero Grosso. He challenges Amadeo to a foosball match – and looses. Grosso takes the loss so badly, that he leaves town and comes back several years later, with vengeance and as an extremely rich international football star. He buys his old hometown, erases most of it to the ground, kidnaps Laura and constructs a giant football stadium full of statues of himself. Amadeo sheds some tears over the shattered foosball game, but then the small toy foosball players miraculously become alive. Together with these tiny football stars, Amadeo put up a plan to win back the village from Grosso and save Laura.

Juan José Campanella (b. 1959) from Buenos Aires is among Argentina's leading directors. He made his international breakthrough with The Secret in Their Eyes (2009), which he received an Oscar for. He has also worked extensively in American television, directing 30 Rock (2006), amongst others, which has secured him two Emmy Awards.