Documentary: 'Dare to Dream: The Story of the U.S. Women's Soccer Team' review

Dare to Dream: The Story of the U.S. Women's Soccer Team (2005) was a TV movie made for American network HBO. It documents the story of the U.S. Women's Soccer Team, highlighting notable players such as Mia Hamm, Brandi Chastain, and Joy Fawcett. The two narratives which are intertwined, one which reflects on past events, and one which counts down to the farewell match as many of these women retire, serve to show their success, the impact they have made on football for young women, and the legacy they leave for the next generation of women footballers.

I decided to research this documentary for this project as we had considered featuring women in football since the first week of filming is Girl's Football Week. Football is also seen as a very 'masculine' sport, which is why I decided to watch this documentary rather than one on women in tennis or ice-skating, since it had to not only present the women in the sport, but also change the audience's expectations from stereotypes they may have believed before viewing this film.

Analysis:

Within the documentary two narratives are told, one based in the past, which documents the team's rise to fame and the impact they have had on women's football, and one in the present which counts down to a farewell game for some of the team's original members who are retiring from the sport.

The past narrative is very dependent on the use of archive footage, such as photographs both taken by members of the team and from publications such as magazines, old newspaper articles and headlines, footage showing old matches, and even some home video showing the team travelling to games. Interviews are also cut into this narrative even though they were filmed in the present as they show the team reflecting on events that are shown in the past narrative.

These interviews are conducted both individually with each team member and also as a group with all the team members looking through photographs together. This makes the film a individual or group profile/biography since it retells the team's and its individual members' rise to significance in the football world, showing how they began to change stereotypes (Nichols, 2017:107).

A voiceover is also used to explain the history which is shown, but contributes to both narratives as it fills in any gaps left by interviewees in interviews, and links the different materials and narratives to make up the whole story told by the documentary. This implies from the beginning that the documentary is going to be quite stylised since 'voice-over narration allows for maximum control over sound quality' (Ruoff, 1992:222), meaning that it is not as raw and unedited as it would have been if it had been captured on location with the footage.
However, like the interviews used the voiceover is reflective, so while it contributes to both the present and past narratives it is still focused on the past.

As the present narrative builds up to showing the farewell game, which is the end of the careers these women have built for themselves in football, the reflectivity in the other parts of the documentary is essential to showing what has lead up to this moment the audience are now seeing, especially if they know nothing about women's football beforehand, otherwise they will not understand the enormity of this event. Tension leading up to this game is built by captions which countdown to the game, as well as set the scene, time, and place.

The present narrative is much more dependent on sequences, many of which follow the players, such as at the beginning of the film where a follow shot into a packed stadium helps to introduce them and start the narrative. Following members of the team brings the audience closer to them, and creates a sense of observational realism, since it 'produces the effect that what we are seeing is a record of reality as it unfolds' (Beattie, 2004:15). This is because the counting down and follow shots serve to place the audience in the time and place of the narrative with the members of the team.

Visuals acting as evidence for what is said also help with this, mainly in the past narrative. This is because it makes what is said seem more genuine and real to the audience, since they are both told and shown it simultaneously. For example, when one of the members of the team tells an anecdote about her mother chanting through a megaphone during the team's matches, a photograph backs this up by showing it.

Photographs are also used in this way to show each woman's struggle, as they each talk about what they have been through to succeed in their careers. These show they have been through adversity and provide a contrast to the light-hearted sequences which show them winning matches. For example, it is seen that one of the players, Michelle, has suffered with chronic fatigue syndrome, which has sometimes made it hard for her to play since she gets tired more quickly than the other team members.

Another team member, Mia, also talks about her brother's death, but through the videos and pictures which are shown whilst the women recount these stories it is seen how the team members have always supported each other, and have bonded over the many years they have played football together.

A musical score is also used to set the tone as it goes from sad to happy or vice versa. This is however different from typical documentary conventions since, 'while the conventions of observational film require that music be recorded on location, the function of music in the narrative structure of these films appears quite similar to that of music in classical Hollywood cinema. Music provides continuity, covers up edits, facilitates changes of scenes, provides mood, offers entertaining spectacle, allows for narrative interludes and montage sequences, and comments on the action' (Ruoff, 1992:228). For example, music is most commonly used in this documentary when the audience see the outcome of matches, reflecting the mood of the team depending on whether they lose or win.
This is shown most evidently through a montage set to the pop song 'La Vida Loca', which shows the team winning game after game, and therefore becoming increasingly famous. The fame which they are seen to gain in this montage is further highlighted by when in the middle of the sequence they are shown meeting with Bill and Hillary Clinton. By setting this sequence to this song it not only sets the tone and reflects their mood, but the lyrics also back up the fact that they could not believe this was happening to them and didn't realise they were changing so much in football, but thought it was crazy, as one of the players states in an interview clip shown in this sequence.

Varied experts such as previous coaches of the team, a representative from Soccer America, a Sports Illustrated reporter, as well as reporters from the Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, and USA Today are all interviewed. This also helps show the team's growing status in the past narrative, since these experts become people who are more well-known to the audience as the documentary goes on.

For example, Billie Jean King eventually appears, who was an expert on the pay gap in sports between men and women, and therefore had helped the team with this so she was able to give a valid opinion both on this and on the team's story, since she is so well-known in sports.

Events also link and progress in the past narrative, providing the viewer with a timeline of events which have led up to the farewell game. An example of this is the team's rivalry with the Norwegian women's team. This shown through sequences showing the two teams playing against each other, especially a match where the American team lose to the Norwegian team and have to watch them celebrate, before having to go against them in the semi final of the Olympics. After this loss there is more at stake, since one of the contributors states that winning a gold medal matters more than any other win, since it proves how good a team is.
However, it is seen that the team do win gold at the final of the Olympics. From here in the documentary there are more and more fans in bigger stadiums with the team playing bigger matches, meaning that for the members of the team it is seen that football turns from a hobby into their occupation as winning gold at the Olympics launches their careers.

The teams' careers are seen documented through adverts and magazine covers which are shown alongside a behind the scenes sequence of the team at a photoshoot as they pose for Sports Illustrated. These again show their status in the sports world, but also document their legacy.

This is particularly evident in the sequences where the team is shown interacting with young girls who are inspired by them and are fans, as the team signs autographs for them, and even helps them with football training.
Contrast between the beginning of the documentary where the team are seen just with each other in the locker room, to being surrounded by fans at the end emphasises the change they go through from being girls who enjoy football as a hobby to women who change the face of women's football, becoming one of the most influential teams.

During the credits of the film, one of the members of the team gives the audience a tour of the locker room through direct address to the camera, and members of the team are also shown talking to each other as if they do not know they are being filmed. A celebration in the locker room is also shown, but there is a distance between the team and the camera.
Altogether, this sequence in the credits makes it seem as if the audience have been with the team throughout the film, but are still detached from their lives, only impacted by their legacy.

This legacy is shown and emphasised by the last shot of the film before the credits, showing Mia walking through the stadium of the farewell game, waving to the crowds. This freezes to a still image and is held for a few seconds before the credits roll.

By doing this, the audience are encouraged to reflect and think about the impact these women have had, especially as they leave the sport and leave their legacy to another generation.

It has been stated by Nichols (2017:88), that 'documentary films and videos speak about the historical world in ways designed to move or persuade us.'
Overall, this documentary acts to move the audience through its musical score, how viewers seem to follow the team bringing them closer to them, the anecdotes which are told about the women's struggles, and the emphasis on their legacy through both of the intertwined narratives. Nevertheless, it also aims to persuade the audience of the team's status through the important public figures shown to support the team, the archive material such as adverts, magazine and newspaper covers, and the events in the past narrative which are seen to get progressively bigger and more important with the team having more at stake.
However, even if viewers have no knowledge of the team, or even the world of women's soccer before watching this documentary, the timeline of events shown in both narratives serves to inform them and show the impact the team has had.
In general, this film shows the team's success, impact and legacy, allowing them to spread their message that anyone can play football, or do anything as long as they love it enough.

Review:

Since Dare to Dream: The Story of the U.S. Women's Soccer Team' documents the legacy of the American women's football team I found that it had a motivational, inspiring feel which seemed to aim to encourage other women to also take up the sport because it is not as male dominated as it first appears. I found that the documentary showed this well through its description of and sequences showing the team being relatable and close to their fans. This was the most interesting part of the documentary to me, because for example, the character of Mia was introduced through archive material showing her in magazines and in an advert, proving she is one of the most important women footballers, which could have distanced her from the audience, especially since I had never heard of her before. However, further sequences showing many young girls in the crowds at stadiums waving banners and wearing shirts with her name on it, as she signed autographs for them, as well as the section which told of the loss of her brother served to make her more relatable to the audience, and furthered the documentary's empowering message that anyone can do anything, girls can even play football.
In general, from this documentary I learnt that football is not as male dominated as I had thought, and it made me think that maybe some other sports that I had considered male dominated may not be either, but that the women in these sports just may not be as well-known as the men. I think it was useful to watch considering our documentary subject because of this, as it showed me how it is possible to allow an audience to relate to the characters featured, even if they know nothing about their world, and may hold stereotypes about it that the documentary will then change.

Influence on our documentary:

For our documentary about women who are obsessed with the sports of skateboarding and roller derby, watching this documentary mainly helped with directing sequences of sport, since they were very fast-paced. This documentary included a lot of those, and from these I was influenced to make several plans when figuring out how I was going to direct so I could be flexible and adapt to the situation when we filmed. For example, I decided to make crib notes and several different overhead diagrams when planning to direct the roller derby sequence, and like in this documentary with the sequences of football, just get as much coverage as possible by using varied shot sizes when needed so that the audience knew what they needed to focus on. In this documentary, most of the football sequences showing matches are obviously filmed using some sort of sky cam or multi-cam setup, so it was harder to do this with a single camera, but I found by moving the camera around the sports centre according to where the roller derby players were allowed us to get closer to the action, as long as we didn't cross the line so shots could later be cut together in the edit.

Music to set the tone was also influenced by this documentary, since I liked how it allowed the montages to flow and be cut to a steady pace. We use this in our film mainly in the montages which open, introduce the characters, locations, and sports, as well as the end sequence to reflect the fast paced nature of the montages but also to reflect the adrenaline and freedom the characters must feel at  being able to skateboard and roller skate with such skill and speed. We thought this was important to show since it highlights the enjoyment women can get from these sports, and therefore emphasises further how essential it is that they are able to pursue them.

To give the film a more personal feel, we aimed to make the interviews we conducted mainly anecdotal, covering each woman's struggle as in Dare to Dream. This is because since our documentary is aimed at a BBC Three audience, it will be seen by many young people, and I found that the interviews where the female footballers recounted their struggles made them seem more relatable, which we aimed to also provide for our viewers. This could encourage them to also take up the sport, since it shows that although these women have faced obstacles they have been able to overcome them. Like the female footballers shown in Dare to Dream, this also helped to show the bond which some of the contributors had built up through meeting because of their sport and being able to participate in the sport together. For example, we made sure that Rachael and Kayleigh both talked about each other in their interviews, so that this bond was clear to the audience, since making friends like this is one of the advantages of taking up one of these sports.

In order to also make clear what the contributors speak about in their interviews, we were influenced by this documentary to use visuals to act as evidence backing up their points, similar to the way they are used when one of the female footballers recounts an anecdote, and a photograph or footage shows this as it happened. For example, our documentary involves a explanation of roller derby, which is quite complicated if it is not seen because although the description is short, it includes terms such as blocker and jammer which are specific only to roller derby. This was inspired by this documentary since the sequences used to show the footballers' anecdotes, especially those that had happened in the past, served to take the audience back to when the event occurred, helping them to understand what they thought and felt as well as experienced, so that it is clear how they have been shaped by what has happened previously, and how this builds into one whole narrative spanning their careers. Our sequences also aim to do this for the audience, but build to show the contributors' whole obsession and the extent of it, highlighting why they love their sport and what they have gained out of taking them up.

References:

Beattie, K. (2004) Documentary Screens: Non-Fiction Film and Television. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

Nichols, B. (2017) Introduction to Documentary. (3rd ed.) Indiana: Indiana University Press.

Ruoff, J. (1992) 'Conventions of Sound in Documentary' In: Altman, R. (ed.) Sound Theory/Sound Practice. New York: Routledge. pp.217-234.