A group of sad slum residents, living on the limits of society under immense pressure, find an invitation to a handball tournament in Bavaria.
A group of desperate slum dwellers, living on the margins of society under impossible pressures, find an invitation to a handball tournament in Bavaria to be the answer to their prayers, a one way ticket to the West and the wealth that will solve all their problems.—Anonymous
A group of desperate slum dwellers, living on the margins of society under impossible pressures,find an invitation to a handball tournament in Bavaria to be the answer to their prayers, a one way ticket to the West and the wealth that will solve all their problems.
Manoj and Stanley console themselves after their latest visa application is rejected. For barman Manoj, the recurrent denial of his ultimate dream to live and work in the beautiful West is taking a serious toll, whilst his lifelong friend Stanley, fruit seller in the streets of Colombo, is losing his fight against overwhelming debt, looking after crazy aunts and a young brother on the way to a criminal life.
With their spirits at an all time low the chance discovery of an invitation to a handball toul'nament in Bavaria appears to them like a present from the Gods. Even if nobody knows what handball is, a bogus application to the tournament is submitted and soon a mismatched collection of friends and colleagues, creditors and policemen, join together in the unlikely Sri Lanka National HandballTeam.
With little thought to the tournament that awaits them on the other side of the world, "trainingsessions" are understandably minimalist and any excess energy ploughed into internal skirmishing. As the tournament invitation arrives, handball rules and regulations are side-lined; dreams of leaving poverty behind and a better life take centre stage as they march to the German Embassy for that magical visa...
Rejected again! Who the hell mentioned Ministry letters? Why should you need permission fromyour own government if you've had an invitation from another? Does this mean the end of thedream?
There's always master forger and all-round crook Ruan of course, but you'd have to seriously bescraping the barrel to go to him for help.
A trade off sees the reluctant last minute inclusion of a bunch of stranded foreigners. The team,now swollen to capacity, finally gets its much agonised visa and, after painful good byes to families and friends, is on the way to the West and a bright future.
But the planned quick getaway on arrival is crushed by the welcoming organisers and a change of schedule sees them confronted by an arena full of sport fans eager to applaud the prowess of the Sri Lanka National Handball Team.
