It’s not often something so different comes along and grabs my attention, I mean most of the movies I watch are your typical action/adventure/comedy fares, but Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait is more of an art project than a movie.
It’s so surprisingly simple and amazingly executed, one game, one man and 17 cameras… For 90 minutes you follow Zinedine Zidane, arguably one of the greatest footballers to grace the field, during a game between Real Madrid and Villarreal on April 23rd 2005. Now while for some of you, this might sound boring, but seeing Zidane in action is like poerty in motion. To best describe this is like Sky Sports Interactive PlayerCam on steroids.
During the course of the game you see Zidane stroll around, coming in and out the game with those little touches he’s famous for, setting up a goal by beating three men and guiding a pinpoint cross and the relief that brings not only to Real Madrid, but their supporters too. You also see how little he interacts with his team, in the first half he barely says a word, in the second he loosens up, sharing a joke with Roberto Carlos, talking to David Beckham as opposed to his usual “heys” when calling for the ball. Ultimately you also see his temperamental side, that so famously appeared during last years World Cup final, as he is sent off in the final minutes for lashing out at an opponent during a heated moment, bizarrely he is applauded by the Bernabeu crowd as he exits the field…
Another thing to point out is the soundtrack by Mogwai which complements the action on the pitch, taking over the sounds of the crowd, leaving only the sound of Zidanes beathing and the crunch of the grass under his feet before rising to crescendos drowning out everything else. It just works, that’s all I can say.
If you’re a fan of the beautiful game, this is highly recommended, if not then you best avoid as you will probably be bored within 5 minutes, but if you can last past those first 5 minutes, you’ll be rewarded. It’s just a shame you have to go out and find a movie like this, I have no idea what kind of release it’ll get over here, I had to download a copy of it in order to see it…
Comments
2 responses to “Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait”
So no headbutts? Damn, that’s what he’s famous for now. :D
he is famous for the beautifull game and he is no doubt the best player that world has seen for atleast four years. he has given joy and wonderness to all of us and have given beautiful 90 min to all of us from time to time and no wonder i love him and so million worldians.