Los futbolísimos

The Footballest is a fun-filled adaptation of The Mystery of the Sleeping Referees, a book in Roberto Santiago’s popular Spanish children’s series that shares the film’s name. It centers around Pakete, an 11-year-old soccer player on the Soto Alto school team, who has become a YouTube sensation for his painfully bad penalty shots. Because the team faces a demotion in league status, the school is considering ending the soccer program. In fact, they must win the next three games or the team is toast. For many of the players, this decision would have a ripple effect of consequences. To boost their chances of winning, the team’s coaches add an extremely talented player named Helena to the roster. But something weird starts happening at their matches: the referees keep falling asleep, prompting a seemingly biased substitute to take over. Is this a coincidence or a conspiracy? To get to the bottom of things, the curious athletes become detectives, doing anything they can to save their team. The Footballest is an absolute blast, blending comedy, mystery, adventure, and puppy love into one highly entertaining package the whole family can enjoy. (Cleveland International Film Festival)