7.2/10
Senior Film Conservator

A definitive 7.2/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. LaLiga remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
If you're looking for a highlight reel of the best goals from last season, you should probably *stay away* from this one. But if you like watching people deal with the weird pressure of being famous for kicking a ball, it’s worth a watch today.
It’s definitely for the fans who follow the players on Instagram more than they check the actual league table. People who want a fast-paced action movie will absolutely hate it.
The whole thing has this very loose, almost accidental feel to it. You get these shots of the Zidane family—Enzo, Theo, and Elyaz—and it starts to feel like a home movie that somehow got a massive budget. ⚽
There is this one scene where the camera just sits on Enzo Zidane's face for way too long. He isn't even doing anything, just looking at the field, but you can see the *weight* of his last name in his eyes.
It reminded me a bit of the drama in The Young Lady and the Hooligan, though obviously with less 1918 angst and more expensive haircuts. The pacing is all over the place, honestly.
One minute we are in a high-stakes locker room, and the next we’re just watching someone walk across a parking lot. It’s not exactly a tight narrative like Detective Craig's Coup, but maybe that’s the point?
Jordi Alba shows up and he just looks tired. Not like he needs a nap, but like he’s been carrying the expectations of a whole city on his back for a decade. It’s a very quiet kind of performance, if you can even call it that.
I noticed the sound design gets really quiet during the big stadium scenes. You expect a roar, but instead, you just hear the squeak of shoes on the grass. It's actually kind of unsettling if you think about it too much.
Sometimes the editing feels like the person doing it just forgot to cut. A transition will happen and you're left staring at a blurry fence for five seconds. I don't know if it was an artistic choice or just a mistake, but I kind of liked it.
It makes the whole thing feel more like a real document of a season rather than a polished PR piece. Though, let's be real, it’s still a bit of a PR piece. 🏟️
The way they talk about the game is so serious, you'd think they were performing surgery. It’s a bit like the intensity in Hurry, Doctor! but with more grass stains.
I wish we saw more of the actual struggle and less of the nice cars. But the footage of the kids training is actually pretty sweet in a weird way.
You can tell they are trying so hard to be their own people while everyone just sees their dad. It’s a bit heartbreaking if you catch it at the right angle.
Overall, it’s a bit of a mess, but it’s a human mess. It doesn't try to explain everything to you, which I appreciate.
If you have a Sunday afternoon with nothing to do, give it a go. Just don't expect a masterpiece of cinema.

IMDb 4.9
1915
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