How far would you go for The Beautiful Game...?

A schmaltzy, feel-good tale, Africa United tells the story of a group of troubled kids, united by football, who travel three thousand miles to take part in the World Cup finals.

Whilst not as fluffy as, say, the classic kids film Cool Runnings, this is an entertaining and humorous story that maintains its roots in the serious and often complex life-or-death issues facing the African continent. Told through the eyes of a group of teenagers, what is striking is how well Rhidian Brook’s script straddles the line between making a legitimate point about HIV, sex-trafficking, education and child soldiers without smothering us in contrived sentimentality in the way that Richard Curtis’ otherwise excellent Girl In The Café managed at times.

When Rwandan football prodigy Fabrice (Roger Nsengiyumva) is talent-spotted by a member of Fifa, he is invited to audition for a place in Africa United – a team of teenagers showing off their silky skills during the opening ceremony of the South African World Cup – with trials taking place in the Rwandan capital Kigali.

Entrusting the organization of the journey to his eternally-optimistic best friend and manager Dudu “mister ten-percent” Kayenzi (Eriya Ndayambaje), who not only is younger than Fabrice, but is also an orphan, they set out, together with Dudu’s sister Beatrice (Sanyu Joanita Kintu) to write their names in the history books. However, things start to go wrong when they discover that, after a long bus journey, instead of Kigali, they have arrived in the Democratic Republic of Congo and, without papers, are interned in a refugee camp. Here they are introduced to the irresistibly named Foreman George, a child solder, and later in their journey to Celeste, a 15 year old sex worker, who form the remainder of the group as they strive to reach South Africa for the start of the opening ceremony.

The heart and soul of the film rests in the cheeky humour and generosity of Dudu, the Huck Finn character whose determination cannot be shaken regardless of the setbacks he and his compatriots face. As the unofficial leader he takes it upon himself to tell a story to keep up spirits which is nicely used a bridge between the faster-paced scenes. He contrasts well with Fabrice who is from a comparatively well-off family with an arrogance and naiveté that slowly shifts as he sees first hand the more serious problems of the world faced by George and Celeste.

There is very little to complain about. The formulaic progression of the plot might render the film a little tiresome for parents who take their children to the cinema, but this will be more than compensated for by the conversation in the car on the way home. “Daddy, what’s a sex worker?”

By the way, what do Nelson Mandela, Barack Obama and Didier Drogba all have in common? Apparently they all wear condoms. Just don’t ask how I know…

Africa United opens in the UK on 22nd October 2010 - Visit the Facebook page

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