Next Goal Wins fully fumbles its trans character’s arc

polygon.com:

Taika Waititi’s Next Goal Wins sets out to dismantle both the white-savior trope and the underdog sports team genre. But while Waititi and co-writer Iain Morris go out of their way to subvert expectations when it comes to those particular elements, Next Goal Wins plays into some particularly troublesome stereotypes when it comes to its central trans character.

Next Goal Wins is based on a true story: The 2014 documentary of the same name follows the comeback journey of the American Samoa soccer team after its record-breaking 31-0 loss in a 2001 World Cup qualifier game. One part of that comeback story involves the rise of Jaiyah Saelua, the first transgender player to compete in a FIFA World Cup qualification game. But in telling this story, Waititi makes some baffling choices in depicting the relationship between coach Thomas Rongen (played in the fictionalized version of the story by Michael Fassbender) and Jaiyah (nonbinary actor Kaimana).

[Ed. note: This piece contains significant spoilers for Next Goal Wins.]

In one of their first interactions, Thomas pointedly addresses Jaiyah by her deadname and emphasizes that it’s her “real” name, which understandably pisses her off: She tackles him, knocking him to the ground. He never apologizes. Instead, she’s the one who has to approach him to make amends. Waititi makes it clear that Thomas is uncomfortable with Jaiyah’s gender: Initially, he uses it as a weapon against her when he’s annoyed with her behavior on the team, and later, he asks confused questions about her status as fa’afafine. From the way the movie is edited, with long, lingering shots of Jaiyah tossing her hair over her shoulder as she walks across the field in a flattering dress, it almost seems like