2014 may have seen Brazil host the World Cup, with high-paid footballers and glamorous WAGs aplenty, but the country was also host to the humbler Street Kids World Cup. Only the second ever, but with nearly three times the number of teams, STREET KIDS UNITED 2: THE GIRLS FROM RIO follows an all-girl Brazilian football team as they prepare for the biggest tournament of their lives.
Directed by Maria Clara Costa, Street Kids United II tells the story of the Favela Street Girls, a team of young girls from the Penha Favela as they train for the Street Kids World Cup tournament. The girls each have their own story to tell – their backgrounds distressingly involve drugs, depravity and abuse – but they are united in their aims to win the tournament.
Football is a more than a game to these girls. To Ronaldo, Rooney et.al the sport may pave the way to glory and riches, but to the Favela Stret Girls this is the way they can keep their dreams alive. Their genuine love of the game is clear in their eyes, a look of spirited determination that is evident whether they cheer themselves on, or argue fiercely mid-session regarding tactics. Not only is this a way for them to escape the hardships of their worlds, but they become friends, loving and supporting each other while they train ruthlessly. Their Dutch coach, Phillip Veldhuis, helps them every step of the way, becoming not only their trainer but their friend, for whom they all admit the most ardent respect.
The Favela Street Girls are the heart and soul of this documentary, they have an eagerness and vibrancy that delights throughout, and are exceptionally inspirational. Their ability to keep dreaming and keep playing despite hardships invites nothing but admiration, and their willpower is astonishing.
Costa, who also acts as editor and producer of this production, does a great job in demonstrating not only the passion and enthusiasm of these girls, but the sheer importance of the Street Kids World Cup and other projects like it. You can’t escape the feeling that as you watch all these joyous kids from various nations, dancing and playing football as friends, there is a sad story behind why they are there. The need to address the problems of child poverty comes through in the film just as clearly as the simple story of training for a world cup tournament, which is one of the documentary’s main strengths. Street Kids United II gives a face and voice to the millions of children worldwide who are sadly being ignored, and will hopefully provide inspiration for action.
httpvh://youtu.be/pkqhUxCe088