Asian cinema is not exactly known for its sport movies, which, maybe with the exception of boxing lately, are quite scarce. This however, does not mean that they do not exist at all, since, particularly during the last decade, a number of excellent movies in the category have come to the fore. On the occasion of the Olympic Games taking place in Japan, we decided to present 20 of the greatest Asian films focusing on sports in alphabetical order, with a focus on diversity regarding countries, directors and style of presentation.
1. As One (Moon Hyun-sung, 2012, S. Korea)
Titled simply “Korea” in Korean, Moon Hyun-sung's film told a historically important story of a key moment in history of Korean sport and politics, a unified Korean women's team consisting players from the North and South which competing in and winning the gold medal at the World Table Tennis Championship. It features two superstars Ha Ji-won and Bae Doona, the latter of which went to great lengths to train and play like her real-life North Korean counterpart. Moon managed to make a film that not only is uplifting and a true underdog story, but one that also fills the viewer with a strange sorrow, knowing that such an event would likely never happen again, and also with an odd tinge of optimism. (Rhythm Zaveri)
2. Baseball Girl (Choi Yoon Tae, 2020, S. Korea)
As a genre piece, “Baseball Girl” does have similarities with features of the past, including a truly fantastic tryout scene, but it manages to stand out slightly differently because here, Soo-in's only opponents are circumstances. She is not pitted against any team or individual, but is purely on a fight for acceptance and to be taken seriously as a pitcher, to be judged on her abilities rather than against set rules and checklists, something which is also mirrored in Soo-in's friend Bang-geul's attempts to be be a dancer and a musician. The narrative also talks about the parents' expectations from their children, particularly without understanding their full potential, and the importance of their support for them. (Rhythm Zaveri)
3. Blue (Keisuke Yoshida, 2021, Japan)
Following three fighters at different points in their career; the timid rookie, gym champion hopeful, and passionate yet low ranked veteran, the production gives each competitor a sense of importance and identity – exploring the importance of different roles that make a successful gym. In this case, Urita (Ken'ichi Matsuyama) suffering from a horrible winning streak acts as the backbone of the gym due to his technical knowledge and analytical mind. Wonderfully realized in a single conversation when championship hopeful Kazuki Ogawa (Masahiro Higashide) reminisces on the key difference between passion and talent. Those who follow combat sports know the two are not synonyms and passion does not always translate to talent – a good gym needs passionate people to help push the talented. Ultimately, Yoshida's ability to hone in on such sentiments gives a sincere look into how such environments can succeed (or fail) on the strength of the people behind the scenes. (Adam Symchuk)
4. Chak De! India (Shimit Amin, 2007, India)
“Chak De! India” is not a film of one, but an entire team of underdog oddballs and their coach, all fighting for the common cause of bringing glory to the country in field Hockey. Sports films had until then mostly focused on male athletes so a feature on the female national team was a rarity that managed to do the impossible: make a generation out of touch with the sport care for it and be interested in it, even for a short time. Add to it the star power of Shahrukh Khan, on fine form in one of his rare non-romantic roles here, and a heavy dose of patriotism, and Shimit Amin's film had the recipe for a hit production. (Rhythm Zaveri)
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5. City Without Baseball (Scud and Lawrence Lau, 2008, Hong Kong)
“City Without Baseball” has many curious and outlandish creative choices, which, although the execution in all artistic aspects falls pretty flat, they still create an odd appeal within those choices. With the choice of using actual baseball players in, what seems, like an attempt to get more legitimacy and recognition, the acting in the film feels very forced and awkward. A good example is in the lead Yu Chung Leung, whose entire performance is so jilted and hammy that any attempts to make him into a romantic lead are squashed by his limited skills as an actor. Building on top of these awkward performances, the music also seems utilized in such a way that it removes you from the film and instead of bringing a stronger connection, the overly romanticized lyrics more showcase how the film is failing in the genre. Each track also includes birth dates and an end date, which gives the impression of paying tribute to dead musicians, which does not fit in well with the theme or the tone of the production. (Adam Symchuk)
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6. Dangal (Nitesh Tiwari, 2016, India)
Nitesh Tiwari directs a very entertaining film that combines sports, comedy, and drama in a delightful, albeit quite light approach. In that fashion, the girls' relationship with their father, who is set to “use” them to fulfill his dreams is epidermically examined, despite the fact that it forms one of the basic axes of the narrative. The same applies to their relationship and the role of their mother, with Tiwari evidently taking the side of the father in all the “feuds” that result in the movie, and particularly the one with their coach, who is presented with the bleakest colors, as a very incompetent man who puts his career above the girls he trains. (Panos Kotzathanasis)
7. Fourth Place (Jung Ju-woo, 2015, S. Korea)
Jung Ji-woo casts a disillusioned and harsh look at the world of competitive swimming, which actually mirrors all the sports at the top level. This world is dominated by the pressure applied to the athletes, which, as the film suggests, does not derive only from the fans or the coaches, but also from the families. The character of Joon-ho's mother exemplifies this last fact, as Jung-ae is an individual who thinks that her son's beating is justified, if he is to win. Furthermore, Jung also presents a question similar to the one in “Whiplash,” if the only way to reach the top is through extremely harsh conditions and violence. The other notion the script exemplifies is the fact that victims of violence, tend to become violent themselves, towards others.
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8. Keep Running (Geting Sun, 2021, China)
Most of the stories emerge as ones of success, but questions about the methods of Liu Siwei will definitely arise, particularly to the western viewer whose mentality frequently focuses on the rights of the trainee than the value of achieving your goal, which seems to be the main driving force here.The world of competitive sports is, infamously, very tough, since it revolves around people who give their whole life on achieving something that, in order to achieve it, have to surpass others who have done exactly the same. In this case, this element becomes even worse, since sports are the only chance for these kids to get away and have a shot at a life outside the confines of the particular area of Inner Mongolia. This aspect becomes the epicenter of the narrative, and one that justifies both their efforts and their coach's attitude, with Geting Sun highlighting it in the best way through the thorough presentation of the plethora of stories.
9. Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India (Ashutosh Gowariker, 2001, India)
224-minutes long epic on Indian freedom fight. Though do not expect typical historical chronicle approach. Ashutosh Gowariker, inspired by the humorous French Astérix comic book series about the Gauls fighting Romans during the era of Julius Caesar, tells the story of Indian villagers opposing Bristish colonial rules in a form reminiscent of a folk tale. The storyline is woven around a bid resulting in a game of cricket, which simple Indian farmers are going to play with British aristocracy. The stakes are high. Drought damaged crops and people have no income. If villagers win, they won't have to pay taxes(laagan) for 3 years. If heartless Brits finish triumphant – the amount to pay will be tripled. It is more than just a sports fairy tale, as plenty of well-thought sociopolitical contexts are included. Smart, witty with the fitting dose of grandeur, fantastic music by A.R. Rahman, and dozens of colorful figures, the movie appeals not only to the cricket lovers, which resulted in a Oscar nominee in the Best Foreign Language Film category. (Joanna Konczak)
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10. Leap (Peter Chan, 2020, China)
Where the movie truly thrives however, are the actual matches. The inclusion of actual players, the combination of actual game speed with slow motion, the different angles, the cheers of the crowd after each point (both those in the stadiums and the ones watching from their and the reactions of the players and coaches are a true wonder to look at, essentially caring the movie from beginning to end of its 145 minutes. In that regard, Peter Chan's direction, Yu Jing-Pin and Xiaoshi Zhao cinematography, and Zhang Yibo's editing find their apogee in these scenes, which thankfully, are quite numerous. (Panos Kotzathanasis)
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