I happen to think Zidane to be the most talented footballer of his generation, probably since Maradona (and since Maradona is the greatest footballer I have ever seen that's no slight upon him) but he has been pretty ill-served by this film. Zizou, though a big man, was so graceful and perfectly balanced that his movements were sublime- balletic almost. It is such a shame, then, that during the game which forms almost entirety of this film he has very little of the ball. And then gets sent off at the end. In some ways that says more about the volatile nature of genius than about Zidane the footballer, though, which is a happy accident.
But for a brief half time interlude, this film follows Zidane via numerous camera angles, throughout a ninety minute game near the very end of his career. It was by no means his best performance- though he does create a goal with one outstanding piece of skill- and he spends most of the film standing and waiting (curiously without a marker within yards of him) for passes that never arrive. Football fans happening upon this film will be infuriated by footage of Zidane standing at the edge of a wall while a team-mate takes a free-kick or watching his side concede a penalty. For a fan it's like looking peeking through the keyhole at a girl you know is getting undressed but maddeningly can't quite see. And the action going on around him- which should be unimportant according to the theme of the film- isn't always ignored. The score is flashed up occasionally and key match moments in which Zizou doesn't feature are played and replayed. Come on guys, we want to see all or nothing- these half-measures are disappointing in the extreme.
Purely as a piece of art, though, the film is more successful. Not successful, just more successful. Set to a great original soundtrack by Mogwai- with intermittent match noise and authentic commentary from Spain- and featuring sporadic subtitled quotes from Zidane himself about the nature of football as a spectacle and as a game, there are some great visual pieces and the utilisation of the footage is great. Especially on the odd occasions that he is doing something. But the task of making a sweaty guy standing around for an hour and a half at all invigorating is sadly too great. It cannot and doesn't hold the attention. But it does look and sound great. 3/10
