In Francisco Infante’s feature film, King’s Cup, Owen (Keegan Gogerty) is a once-promising emo rockstar who is now trapped in a boring office job. Long ago, he left his hometown to pursue music after landing a record contract that fell apart, and he returns home. To make matters worse, Owen’s world is turned upside down after receiving a wedding invitation from his ex-girlfriend, Liz (Maya McGowan). The invitation was like a kick to the head. Memories of his past dreams and regrets resurface, leaving him to believe that the invitation is Liz’s attempt to see if there is one last chance for the two of them.
Desperate to change the course of his life, Owen decides the only way to win Liz back is through music. He dusts off his guitar and is determined to create the perfect hit that will capture her heart once more. Liz was there when Owen wrote the songs that made him a star. Looking for some validation, Owen attempts to reconnect with old friends and bandmates, including Lincoln (Casey Feigh) and Sean (Cecil Jennings), as a friendly gesture, but more to see what Liz is up to now. His meeting with Lincoln and Sean allows Owen to reconnect while at the same time opening up old wounds surrounding why he left. As Owen starts strumming again, he has to fight to overcome the obstacles of his past decisions in hopes of winning back Liz.
The most fascinating part of King’s Cup is its study of Owen as a character, that is, Owen. For anyone who has been in love and seen it slip away, Owen’s story is going to feel very familiar. As the years pass, questions of “what if” or what could have been swirl in our brain, warping and twisting the past to the point that we project our own desire into the minds of what might have been.
Liz (Maya McGowan) reflects in a surreal dreamlike sequence.
“…Owen’s world is turned upside down after receiving a wedding invitation from his ex-girlfriend.”
Writer/director Infante paints a tale of a man who dropped everyone he loved to pursue a dream. After the dream failed, he returned home believing that he could pick up where he had left off, not knowing everyone else had moved on. Infante draws a nuanced and insightful performance from his cast.
King’s Cup is also part music video. We see the song for Liz evolve throughout the film, thanks in part to imaginary conversations Owen has with Liz and some very blunt conversations with very real people, including Owen’s good friend and Liz’s fiancé. As a filmmaker, writing a song that will serve as the anthem of the film is a scary prospect. It requires strong writing, and Infante and Keegan Gogerty (as Owen) do a good job crafting a song in various versions.
Maybe I respond so well to King’s Cup because I’ve carried these feelings since high school. I revisited them with the prospect of my 40th high school reunion this past summer. The film captures that tension perfectly—between who we once were and who we’ve become, between holding on and letting go. In the end, King’s Cup is not just a story about music and romance, but about recognizing when the past has to stay behind us in order for the future to finally begin.
"…about recognizing when the past has to stay behind us..."
