Hayat, a soccer fanatic from Hamburg, has breast cancer. After the operation, the 20-year-old feels disfigured and is no longer allowed to play football because of her medication. But a life without soccer? Unimaginable! For Hayat, the motto now is: after the game is before the game. The motley group of girls from FC Schanze, who neither have a jersey nor can dribble, take Hayat in. Her lousy coach Toni, who sees his main task as certifying that his girls are free of talent, also takes a liking to her. The way the roughneck courts her, first out of vanity and then out of genuine affection, and discovers his sensitivity in the process, is one of the film's great moments.
Acting
Karoline Herfurth's raw, unpretty grief—no Hollywood cancer glow here.
Writing
Toni's transformation from talent-certifying jerk to actual human being.
Costume
The glorious jersey-less, dribble-less chaos of FC Schanze's 'uniforms'.
Director
Buket Alakuş
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
One of the few German films centering Turkish-German female athleticism without framing it as assimilation struggle.
Director Buket Alakuš based Hayat's team on real Hamburg women's clubs where skill was optional but commitment was law.
DE
