Hot Docs

With a rousing cheer of “Oh shit!” the world’s third-worst rugby team attacks the pitch. Try as they might, the team from Oulu just can’t win. Forget the ruck—they suck! The coach’s frustration soon turns to despair upon hearing that a promising prospect must be benched because she’s a woman. The players, including best friends Matti and Mikko, don’t seem too upset by their losing record, however, and focus on having fun. A broken pinkie doesn’t slow the drinking at post-game sauna parties, just as girl trouble doesn’t distract from road game nudity. Equal parts fist bumps, fisticuffs, and fisting, Freetime Machos eavesdrops on locker room talk that moves beyond sexual boasts to tackle job stress, changing gender roles, kids, and suicide. A touching, dry comedy about the Finnish male’s struggle to strike a balance between hard and soft, macho and poet, homophobic and homoerotic. - Angie Driscoll

Media Coverage

National Post (Capsule Review), NOW Magazine (4-star Review). About.com (Capsule Review)