Next to group goes to see their old friend Wit. When they find him, he is about to announce his engagement to a girl named Julie that his parents want him to marry. Wit cannot bring himself to tell his parents that he is gay. However, Wit's father loves the idea of him being in athletic competition, so Wit is allowed to join the team.
Finally, Coach Bee brings in some students from her old high school to be backup players. They are the transvestite triplets of April, May, and June. Now the team is complete and they choose to call their team "The Iron Ladies". The coach decides that Chai should be the captain for the team since he has the most competition experience. Chai is uncomfortable with his new teammates but he continues to play as he wants desperately to win and possibly be in some world competition one day. There is the one scene when Chai is talking with his wife Mook about the team and she says, "What is it that you are afraid of, that they are not quite men or that they are not quite women?"
Although the team wins some local competitions, and even pick up a few fans, the real challenge will be when they go to the national competition where they will not only have to face teams that despise them for who and what they are, but also volleyball officials who would love nothing better than to eliminate them from the games completely.
"Iron Ladies" is an inspiring comedy about a little team with heart that might could win in the end, if only for themselves, and maybe win a little dignity along the way. I love this movie and hope that the U.S. distributors, Strand Releasing, will make it available on home video sometime soon as I want a copy of it in my library. This movie is playing at several film festivals around the country and in selected cities. I saw this movie as part of The Austin Gay and Lesbian International Film Festival and the audience absolutely loved it. If you get a chance, go see this movie. By the way, be sure to stay through the closing credits because as an added treat, director Yongyooth Thongkonthun has included actual footage of the real "Iron Ladies" team.
AGLIFF runs from August 24th to September 6th, 2001 and will feature many fine films. If you get a chance to go you can call and reserve tickets at 512-458-9464.
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 | | ABOUT NICOLE
Nicole Blizzard is a published poet whose poetry has appeared in such publications as "Illya's Honey" and "The Open Window II" (Hidden Brook Press) as well as in TechnoDyke's writer's forum, "The WriteDyke". She is also a freelance writer exclusively for TechnoDyke.com on a variety of subjects. She can be contacted at nicole_b92@hotmail.com |
