For all the incredible nuggets of information in the documentary about former U.S. women’s national team goalie Hope Solo — how her father disappeared from her life early on, only to reappear as a homeless man living in a forest … how she named two former teammates as being responsible for her controversial benching during the 2007 World Cup … how she was one of the first leaders in the push for equal pay in soccer and how she feels that was the underlying factor for her banishment from the team … how her DUI arrest was the low point of her life — the biggest takeaway may be this: Virtually all of her former teammates, coaches and U.S. Soccer officials refused to be interviewed for the project.
Solo is still that toxic.
New Jersey native Nina Meredith, the director of “Untold: Hope Solo vs. U.S. Soccer,” among the latest releases of the fourth installment of the Netflix series, said being turned down by so many in the soccer community (including journalists who covered the team) was so surprising that she included it in the opening minutes of the more-than-hourlong documentary.
But, Meredith said, it didn’t take away from the purpose of the documentary: To give Solo, the unquestioned best goalie in U.S. history, an opportunity to tell her story.
“I just wanted to present her truth,” she said.
It’s a complicated one, for sure.
Meredith detailed Solo’s rise (from a national high school phenom who never played goalie until college) to an arguably self-inflicted fall (her comments about the Swedish national team following a loss in the 2016 Olympics led to her final banishment from the team) to ugly off-the-field incidents (in addition to the DUI, there were dismissed charges in a domestic violence incident).
Meredith captured the moments using insights from her childhood friends, college coaches, a former national team star whose career did not directly intersect with Solo’s and — most importantly — Solo herself.
Solo did write a memoir in 2013, but she has mainly steered clear of the media, which she does not feel has presented her fairly. Meredith, over the course of more than two years, was able to earn her trust.
“Hope is a very private person,” Meredith said. “She has not ever really sat down to share her story. She’s been burned. She has been labeled all sorts of things by her teammates, by the public, by U.S. Soccer.
“She was very guarded and didn’t necessarily trust me at first, because media has not been her friend. A lot of the early chats were just gaining her trust as much as I could, telling her this is not supposed to be an exposé. It’s not a ‘gotcha’ documentary. It’s really an opportunity for her to share her truth and her side of the story.”
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Long before she started producing award-winning documentaries — and before she started producing Super Bowl commercials — Meredith was an athlete herself.
A graduate of Watching Hills High, she went to Lafayette College on a track scholarship, participating in the high jump and the heptathlon.
It was there, as fine arts/art history double-major, that she discovered her love of storytelling.
“I fell in love with photography, specifically portraiture photography — and studying a lot of female subjects through photography,” she said. “I didn’t realize it was documentary photography, but, looking back, it certainly was.”
After graduating, she worked at New York Magazine in the photo division, then moved to advertising to be a producer of commercials.
She liked the work, but she said she wasn’t completely fulfilled.
“After a few years in, felt like I wanted to get back to my roots of documentary filmmaking, so I went to work at VICE Media,” she said. “It was at VICE Media where I really garnered relationships and got opportunity to slowly start directing stories. And for me, it was always women’s sports. That’s always what drew me as a filmmaker, and it kind of snowballed from there.
“So, now my world is a hybrid of commercial directing and directing documentaries.”
Meredith was one of three female directors to direct a national 2021 Super Bowl commercial (interestingly enough, with U.S. national team player Megan Rapinoe). And she has worked for many of the world’s largest brands, including Nike, Vogue, Ford, Porsche, Facebook, Levi’s, Adidas, BVLGARI and Asics.
Her documentaries have received much acclaim, starting with her first, “Foul Play: The Margaret Lambert Story,” a 24-minute documentary for the Olympic Channel in July 2016 about a German Jewish high jumper who was not allowed to compete in the 1936 Berlin Games. “Mariah: A Boxer’s Dream,” won two Webbys, has been screened at more than 20 film festivals worldwide and is in development to be a scripted feature.
Meredith has established herself as a top director — one who just happens to be female. That distinction is not lost on her. For all her success, Meredith has worked to ensure other females can follow her path. She frequently allows younger women to shadow her on set. Her website, which solicits mentorship opportunities, has more than 80 inquiries that she is working through
“When I started out, I didn’t know of many female directors,” she said. “Over the years, there has been a huge evolution of female directors, and I’m very proud to be one, and I want to be someone that people look up to and try to emulate.
“I always try to hire aspiring filmmakers to come shadow me, because I know breaking in is incredibly difficult. There are so many talented people that want to be a director, and, to get that title, you have to work really hard. I want to show them.”
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The Solo documentary was unique in so many ways, Meredith said.
For starters, Meredith said she was stunned by the treasure trove of pictures, videos and home movies — as well as documents and a personal journal — that Solo eventually shared with her.
“It was like hitting gold for a documentary,” she said.
The same goes for the content. The subjects Meredith was able to connect with (University of Washington coaches, friends) were essentially speaking publicly for the first time — about sensitive topics and about a person they care about deeply.
“I think they all consider Hope family,” she said. “Leslie and Amy was a very emotional interview. I think they have not sat down to talk about Hope in years. No one really has. So, in a way, the interviews were like a big therapy session.”
One members of U.S. Soccer apparently weren’t ready to have.
Meredith was stunned at the unwillingness of those on the team to speak.
“These women are very vocal in the soccer community, so, to be met with so much rejection was shocking and pretty unfortunate,” she said. “I can only theorize on why, but their silence spoke volumes to me.
“Hope’s perspective is that, if you’re associated with Hope, you’re against the Federation, or if you’re associated with Hope, you might not get career opportunities. But, this was her speculation. I never got a clear answer as to why from anyone.”
Meredith said she feels the documentary showed Solo in a way that many had not seen her. The first reviews — many of which come instantly on social media — seem to back that up.
“They have been incredibly overwhelming and positive,” she said. “Twitter was blowing up in support and in favor of Hope. I think a lot of people were shocked to hear Hope’s side of the story, especially when it came to being such a trailblazer for equal pay and never getting any credit for it.”
Meredith said she obviously has her own personal opinion of Solo. One she said has changed over the more than two years of doing the documentary.
But, it’s not one she wants to share — in person or in the documentary.
“It’s not on me to tell an audience, ‘This is how you should feel’ or how I feel,” she said. “I just want to present her truth and her story and give her that platform. I tried to remain as objective as I could.”
It’s what she does. And it’s why she is such a coveted director. Especially when it comes to features on women’s sports stars.
Meredith currently is in development on her next project. She wouldn’t share the subject, but said it follows the pattern she prefers.
“It’s less about the sport and more about the actual story we’re telling,” she said. “It has to go deeper. It cannot just be surface level.
“I’m very drawn to this intersection of art and athletics, and that’s why I gravitate towards strong female characters — and flawed female characters are even more interesting than someone you can easily root for.”
