Africa United (Debs Gardner-Paterson, 2010)

A bunch of football-mad kids from Rwanda decide to trek all the way to the World Cup in South Africa, in an uneven film that mixes sweetness with adult concerns. On one hand, it's a kids' escapade story, punctuated by cute animated flights of fancy on their quest, while on the other, the memory of the recent genocide and the shadow of HIV loom large in the background, driving the wanderers on. It's pleasant and lively for the most part, but far too improbable and blithe to be taken as anything more than a healthy variation for the young 'uns from the usual First World-centric adventure fare.

5/10