MARADONA BY KUSTURICA (2008)

Cast

Plot

Maradona - the documentary details the life of probably the greatest ever footballer through the eyes of filmmaker Emir Kusturica. This is not a film showcasing Maradona's career from start to finish. There is an initial proviso for watching this documentary, which is that you must already be aware of his foot-balling contributions. You must be willing to accept that he is the greatest player of all time. This is because the filmmaker shares this very opinion and so do the rest of the people in this documentary. There are no comparisons to players such as Garrincha, George Best or even Eusebio; in fact no other player is ever mentioned. Instead it highlights his life after his football career ended and is mixed with renaissance, redemption and political issues alike. You get to see Maradona the person, Maradona the so called `god' like figure and the family man. It mainly focuses on the time he gained weight and was hospitalised during 2004. The life of Maradona is dealt with in a highly subjective manner and is more of a fusion between the Director's own philosophy and that of Maradona's `current' life. Yes it is flawed and despite it being not quite what you would expect, it is still an enjoyable film and the unconventional nature of the filmmaker, coupled with his narration - is at times refreshing. You do get to see footage of some of his goals and the `goal of the century' is repeated throughout the film - but with a slight twist! There are also some scenes of Emir Kusturica's other films which are carefully constructed into the documentary so they look to fit the purpose. This is in fact a raw film; its independent cinema which does not set out to please anyone. As a viewer you may not gain any real further knowledge on Maradona, but the sheer unadulterated footage is still great insight. The key point the film makes is to open our eyes to the tremendous and god like following one former footballer has in his home country. It shows living proof of this. The goings on at the Church of Maradona are delved into, and again further proves that the scale of the following is both shocking and awe-inspiring. Football may be a religion in the South American neck of the woods but the popularity of the documentary is sure to extend further to an audience beyond the average football fanatic.