While I was watching it, I thought like "why they give so much minute to this Ben guy, he is really annoying, probably his parents filmed it" and at the credits I saw that one of the directors have the same surname. Other than that, it is pretty outdated. I guess it is filmed in 2012 but broadcasted in 2018, weird. It would a really great documentary if it wasn't like sleeptalking of Ben for half an hour.
The Surrounding Game
2018
Action / Documentary / Drama / History / Sport
The Surrounding Game
2018
Action / Documentary / Drama / History / Sport
6.6Keywords: go
Plot summary
Go is the oldest game still played in its original form. In east Asia, it is hailed as one of mankind's greatest cultural achievements and considered both ancient art and national sport. At the very top, an elite cadre of professional Go players battles for dominance, broadcast to millions of fans - and remaining virtually unknown to the West. Now, for the first time, a small but determined band of American players enters the fray, launching their own professional system and struggling desperately to bring Go into the mainstream. Everything depends on the genius of the young competitors as they explore the endless complexities of the game. In the end, 'The Surrounding Game' is a story of obsession: a search for meaning beneath the patterns.
Uploaded by: FREEMAN
Director
Top cast
Tech specs
720p.WEB 1080p.WEB 821.45 MB
1280*714
English 2.0
NR
Movie Reviews
Reviewed by
Could be far better
Reviewed by
Interesting characters at an interesting time for the game
The look at Go historically and in Asia introduces you to the game well, and shows you the cultural heights the game can reach, something which helps lend importance to the documentary's main narrative: the tournament to decide America's first professional Go players.
Personally, I enjoyed the way the film followed the three American players, which was certainly not flattering, but showed them as very human and with their own philosophies and worries in life. And these are the top players in America, devoted to what was (until the events depicted in the documentary) a wholly amateur pursuit in their country -- certainly some interesting characters.
Reviewed by
Okay documentary
Pretty subpar compared to AlphaGo documentary. This one follows the a tournament to find the first American pro player.
There's barely any insights to each player's lives. There's only one short scene showing one American playing in a Korean school. Nothing else much about their lives.