Why is Taika Waititi’s Next Goal Wins being called transphobic?

Next Goal Wins, Taika Waititi’s new movie, has been accused of being transphobic – but why? Here’s everything you need to know about the controversy surrounding the sports comedy-drama. 

With the likes of What We Do In The Shadows, JoJo Rabbit, and arguably the best Thor movie in the series, Ragnarok, under his belt, there’s no denying Taika Waititi is a natural talent in the world of comedy filmmaking. 

His latest project, Next Goal Wins, brings more comedic beats, telling the true story of how Dutch-American coach Thomas Rongen managed to lead the seemingly hopeless American Samoa national football team to qualification for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Based on the 2014 documentary of the same name, the film is helmed by Waititi, who also co-wrote the script with British writer Iain Morris. 

While the movie has received mixed reviews since its film festival premiere, earning a 59% Rotten Tomatoes critics’ score so far, some have taken issue with Next Goal Wins, accusing it of being transphobic. 

Why is Taika Waititi’s new movie Next Goal Wins being called Transphobic?

Next Goal Wins has been criticized for its treatment of Jaiyah Saelua, who is played by non-binary star Kaimana. In real life, Saelua is a fa’afafine, a third gender present in Polynesian society. She is the first openly trans woman to compete in a FIFA World Cup qualifier.

After premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival this week, a number of critics highlighted issues in regard to Saelua’s storyline, stating that she is “deadnamed” in the film, there are “flippant” jokes and attitudes towards gender, and she ends up having to apologize to coach Thomas, during which time he is said to ask about her genitals. 

Michael Fassbender plays coach Thomas Rongen

In its Next Goal Wins review, The Playlist wrote: “Secret weapon Jaiyah (the mononymous, non-binary, altogether transfixing Kaimana) initially baffles Thomas with her gender identity of fa’afafine, taken for granted in the Pacific as an important piece of the local cultural heritage. 

“He deadnames her to motivate her during practice. Then, after she knocks him out, she’s sent on the high road of apology to him for a reconciliatory heart-to-heart in which she smiles through an invasive inquiry about her genitals. The movie’s emotional climax uses her transition with a vulgar blatancy of purpose, just so Thomas can give her the pep talk that instantly dissolves her dysphoria.”

Adding to the conversation, Discussing Film said: “Jaiyah is a secondary protagonist and initially butts heads with Thomas. This leads to a baffling series of scenes of Thomas being transphobic followed by a moment of Jaiyah reaching out to him to apologize. 

“Jaiyah’s actions are given very little motivation, from her initial pushback against Thomas’s leadership to her being the one to reach out to the man who repeatedly and maliciously deadnamed her. Between Thomas’s presence in American Samoa to his struggles with his own daughter, Nicole (Kaitlyn Dever), Jaiyah exists in this film to serve Thomas’s narrative.”

Elsewhere, Indiewire commented: “Despite a lovely performance from Kaimana – who has the most dramatic material to tackle – Waititi’s treatment of gender is flippant. Though Jaiyah is not discriminated against in her own country, Next Goal Wins highlights (and tries to get some laughs out of) her otherness and seems unequipped to handle discussions of hormones and other facets of transness.”

Many of those who have read about the discourse have other ideas, with a number of spectators comparing the feedback to the accusations that JoJo Rabbit was antisemetic. “I’m not listening to anything people are saying about Next Goal until I see it,” wrote one X/Twitter user. “The same type of people watched JoJo Rabbit and walked away thinking that Taika’s an antisemitic nazi sympathizer.”

Another said: “If you’re gonna believe a white man’s review of Next Goal Wins that calls Taika transphobic for a scene that will probably depict transphobia in a negative light without having seen the actual movie, please touch grass.”

To read more about Next Goal Wins, head here, and you can check out more of our upcoming movie hubs below: 

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