A comic story of mismatched losers, who lift themselves out of the poverty trap by learning a new and surprising skill…… sounds familiar? It should. Uberto Pasolini, produced ‘The Full Monty’ and makes his directorial debut with this strikingly similar but true story of the first Sri Lankan National Handball Team. When their visa application is rejected, Stanley and Manoj seem destined to spend their lives hustling on the streets of Colombo until Stanley stumbles across a bizarre advert. The German Handball Association is seeking teams to attend the world championships in Bavaria. The only catch? No-one in Sri Lanka has heard of the game. With its twinkly underdog charm sugar-coating a surprisingly direct indictment of global immigration policy, ‘Machan’ seems eager to avoid the lazy feel good trap, but stumbles in the last act into sports-triumph territory.
Tom Huddleston, Time Out - 2009
The directorial debut of the producer of ‘The Full Monty’ is another story of unemployed or underemployed men, in this case, a true one. After being refused a visa to work in Germany, two young Sri Lankans discover that a worldwide invitation has been extended to take part in an international handball tournament in Bavaria. So, without knowing how the game is played, they form the Sri Lankan handball team, recruit other would-be illegal immigrants to make up the appropriate number and end up finding victory in defeat in Germany. It’s likeable, intelligent, but finally more sad than funny.
Philip French, The Observer – 2009
Pasolini’s direction gives the film a documentary-like realism that works well; he also gets extremely naturalistic performances from a terrific ensemble cast made up of non-professionals and first-time actors. De Chickera and Dias make a likeable central duo and there is strong support from Mahendra Perera as local crook Ruan, who comes up with a few last-minute solutions when everything seems lost. The script is excellent, balancing moments that are laugh-out-loud with poignant, moving and emotionally resonant scenes that touch on the themes of family, male pride and the men’s desperate hunger for the opportunity to work and support a family. ‘Machan’ is an enjoyable, well made and superbly acted comedy-drama that deserves to find an audience.
Matthew Turner, The ViewLondon – Nov 2009
What is F-Rated?
The F-Rating is applied to all films which are:
- Directed by women
- Written by women
- Has one or more significant women on screen
If it qualifies with one of the above it gets the Bronze rating.
If it qualifies with two of the above it gets the Silver rating.
If it qualifies with all three of the above it gets the Gold rating.