I think I went to college too soon. When I was in school, the nerdiest thing you could do is spend long nights exploring dungeons with dice, graph paper, and pencils. Kids today have it so much easier, as evidenced in a documentary titled Mudbloods.
The film, which is available via iTunes and the film’s Web site, is about college kids participating in intercollegiate games of Quidditch. Yes, Quidditch, the game made famous by Harry Potter. But this version, played by Muggles, is a lot more action-packed and hard-hitting than the Hogwarts variety.
The movie follows a UCLA team from practices on the quad to the Quidditch World Cup, and it is a compelling story. As an upcoming team in the sport, the Bruins are an enthusiastic and athletically geeky bunch. Yet, like kids not yet comfortable in their skins, they seem to spend almost as much time defending their sport as playing it. But when it comes to love of the game, it’s difficult to find a passion more pure than the Bruins’ Quidditch team. Not only do the players devote countless hours to improving their Quidditch, but they also support their teammates unquestionably, a concern that extends to their opponents, as well.
In the movie, women play alongside the men and are often seen delivering more jarring, bone-rattling hits than their counterparts, playing as chasers, keepers, beater, or seekers, and the whole thing makes for a really good sports film. Even though there are some subplots that meander and cause the film to lose a little focus, overall, Mudbloods has all the thrill and competition of any great sports documentary — and that’s an excitement no one has to defend.
One final note: If you go to the Mudbloods website to watch the film, you’ll have the opportunity to pick a college Quidditch team and enter a code when renting. This will donate a dollar to that college’s Quidditch team.
