Movie No. 199 (2013): A BAREFOOT DREAM
A Barefoot Dream (2010)
Director: Kim Tae-gyun
Cast: Park Hee-soon, Ko Chang-seok
In Korean, Portuguese and Japanese with English subtitles
Mr. Kim, a retired professional soccer player, ends up visiting East Timor after a series of failed business attempts. Partly, he's into hiding from his creditors in Seoul. Immediately, he senses a business opportunity after seeing local kids playing soccer barefoot on dusty and pebbly pitches. He opens a store for sports goods that locals can't afford. Then he comes up with a scheme to lure the kids into buying his cleats on a ridiculous but generous installment plan. Things don't go as planned and, before he realizes it, he's already coaching the kids, giving them hope to compete in an international meet.
Director: Kim Tae-gyun
Cast: Park Hee-soon, Ko Chang-seok
In Korean, Portuguese and Japanese with English subtitles
Mr. Kim, a retired professional soccer player, ends up visiting East Timor after a series of failed business attempts. Partly, he's into hiding from his creditors in Seoul. Immediately, he senses a business opportunity after seeing local kids playing soccer barefoot on dusty and pebbly pitches. He opens a store for sports goods that locals can't afford. Then he comes up with a scheme to lure the kids into buying his cleats on a ridiculous but generous installment plan. Things don't go as planned and, before he realizes it, he's already coaching the kids, giving them hope to compete in an international meet.
Movies like this are expected to be inspiring, especially that it's based on a true story. The occasional melodramatic scenes do not dilute the film's art. What makes the film even better is the tackling of internal issues of the troubled past of the East Timor that's reflected in some important characters.
Rating: 4.0/4.0
Date seen: December 31, 2013
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