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Matthew Carey

Documentary Editor, Awards

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“No hesitation about allowing the cameras in,” Rapinoe said of agreeing to participate in the documentary. “My only hesitation was about the kind of film that we were going to make. That was even before Rebecca and I linked up. I didn’t want to just kind of make a standard athlete doc. So, once I linked up with Rebecca and we sort of shared the vision about what we wanted to do, I was like, ‘Okay, it’s yours. Go for it.’”

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Huntt addressed how she made Rapinoe different from typical sports documentaries.

“I feel like a lot of [those] docs, no shade, but they become a kind of long-form content,” Huntt observed. “It’s just sort of a specialty edited way of what we’ve already seen through Instagram, YouTube and all of these channels that we have with social media. And I really wanted this to feel personal and intimate. I wanted for us to be able to understand the sort of inner moment that Megan was in while we were shooting the film. It was important for the fans and just for the archive.”

Megan RapinoeCourtesy of TIFF

The documentary explores how “dissociation” helped Rapinoe maintain focus on the field at moments of greatest tension, with victory on the line. And it delves into the coming out process for Rapinoe, who grew up in the conservative town of Redding, California, in a religious family. Embracing her identity helped her become a complete person and better athlete, she says.

“I feel like the whole world sort of went from a little bit out of focus and not quite making sense to just like, ‘Oh, that’s who I am,’” Rapinoe said. “And I think from then I just really could settle into myself and understand myself a lot better. And also, being gay is amazing.”

In the Deadline interview, Rapinoe speaks to the intense backlash she faced after supporting the Black Lives Matter movement by taking a knee during the playing of the national anthem. Watch the full video above.

The Deadline Studio at TIFF is hosted at Bisha Hotel and presented by Volvo, Columbia, Patrón and Schwarzkopf.

Panelists: Megan Rapinoe (protagonist); Rebecca Huntt (director)

First Screening: Friday, Sept. 11 at Scotiabank Theatre

Sales agent: UTA Independent Film Group