Eleven Men Out

(Strákarnir okkar)

Synopsis:

The star player of Icelands top football team causes a stir when he admits to being gay to his team mates and then goes on a journey to discover himself (with the help of the local press). He soon finds himself on the bench for most of his teams matches and decides to call it quits and join a small amateur team made up of men like himself – gay guys trying to play football in a straight world of Icelandic fishing culture machoism.

Quick Thoughts:

I’m on the fence about “Eleven Men Out”. Underneath the surface of this queer sport film, there is an interesting and novel plot surrounding a professional football player coming out. But there is a lack of focus as the film jumps from person to person; they dig into how everyone deals with it. Yet it’s almost as if they are trying to cover too much in this queer sport film. With cinematography & editing that juts back and forth, it’s not the easiest film to follow – and I won’t even touch on the anti-climatic ending that left me disappointed. But it’s not all bad! Most of the cast are decent, even if they aren’t really known outside of Iceland. Equally great to see an Icelandic film reach a broader international audience. While there may be a few better options within the queer sport genre, I still encourage you to watch “Eleven Men Out”. Despite the weak areas, it’s a decent film that addresses coming out in sports.