Movie World Cup Fever is upon us, and we’re celebrating by getting shin guard deep into a massive competition that honors the cinema of each country in the Cup. For our weekly foreign film coverage, check out Foreign Objects, but stay tuned to our Movie World Cup to decide who makes it through the vicious second round.

Italy grew to be a powerhouse in the 1960s and 1970s when Italian cinema became a rite of passage, but the powerhouse has lost a step since then. Luckily, it is represented by a fantastic film in Il Divo. Unfortunately, it had the luck of drawing against Lord of the Rings: Return of the King – a heavily favored film in this competition. The New Zealand representative easily defeated historical drama Bathory, and the Italian politician beat the Cannes selection Paraguayan Hammock in Round One. We may be saying “Ciao” to Italy unless they can pull off a stunning upset.

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