On a purely hypothetical level, imagine what kind of impact it might have had if Miami Dolphins superstar Dan Marino had, at the height of his fame, casually mentioned to a reporter that he was gay? Such a scenario plays itself out, Icelandic-style, in the new comedy Eleven Men Out, when handsome national soccer superstar Ottar Thor lets the news slip in a post-game locker room interview. Freaking out his team’s owners and the rest of his teammates, not to mention his blonde bombshell ex-wife (a former Miss Iceland), and his 13-year-old son Magnus, Ottar’s world begins to unravel as he is banned from professional play. Eleven Men Out is distinctively and charmingly Icelandic to the core – meaning the rhythms, tones and textures of this movie are peculiar, fresh and unique in ways that feel different from anything an American or even another European filmmaker could invent. Taken up as a hero by Icelandic’s tiny gay community, Ottar accepts an invitation to join a friend’s amateur soccer team that already has some closeted gay players. Ottar’s out celebrity status inspires his gay teammates to join him in public declaration, and soon talented gay soccer players from all over Iceland are clamoring to get on the team! Off the field, Ottar is unprepared for the hostility his son demonstrates to his dad’s new lifestyle, and an attempted romance with one of his younger teammates fails when Ottar’s idea of the ultimate dream date turns out to be a Leonardio DiCaprio home video theme night. Comparisons to last year’s inspired Guys & Balls from Germany are inevitable, but Eleven Men Out has a broader and more nuanced scope. In Icelandic with English subtitles.
Róbert I. Douglas was born in Reykjavík, and went to university in Northern Ireland. His previous feature films include The Icelandic Dream (2000), A Man Like Me (2002), and Small Mall (2004). \
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