Estrellas de la Linea

Last night was the premiere of the documentary "Estrellas de la Linea" (At this website you can see two video clips). We were invited because Poncho's friend, Andres, had collaborated on the film. The place was completely crowded, and we ended up with seats all the way to the front and to the right. We soon forgot where we were seated and were pulled in by the stories of these women.

These estrellas are all prostitutes in one of Guatemala City's worst neighborhoods. They make about $2 per client. They live in what is a small room, many times with an abusive partner, and with their kids for whom they sacrifice everything. One of the most moving scenes is of a boy hugging his cat and telling the camera that he knows what his mother does and that kids at school pick on him for it, but that the teacher gets those kids in trouble, "For a month", he says.

These women decide to do something to raise awarness about their lives and their plights. They form a soccer team and enroll at one of Guatemala's poshest venues--Futeca, a weekend sports center. After their first game against a team of high school girls, their parents, up in arms, harass the administration with phone calls and threats and the Estrellas are banned from playing there again. And so begins their story. They then play against a group of policewomen, who say they also feel marginalized. From here, a local travel website decides to sponsor the team and take them on a tour of rural Guatemala and have them play against other prostitutes and club dancers along the way.

What is most moving about this film is each individual woman's story. How they became prostitutes and how they view themselves for doing this kind of job. Some feel proud that they do not depend on anyone. Others feel repentful because they see it as a sin. All of them do it to survive.

At the end of the film, all of the estrellas walked to the front of the theater and received a standing ovation. Seeing them made me cry. I cried for their lives and for their struggles, but mostly because surrounded by so much pain and ugliness, these women still had spirit and a love of life. If you have the chance, go out and see this documentary. You too will be moved.