Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait

A movie about Zinedine Zidane--three-time FIFA World Footballer of the Year and one of the most captivating athletes to follow on any playing field--was shown at the Cannes Film Festival in May and has just started a run in London theaters. (As for seeing it in the United States, Adam Spangler of This Is American Soccer told me he saw a screening at the Museum of Modern Art--MOMA film listings here.) Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait has had mixed reviews. The International Herald Tribune didn't exactly love it, and Variety's critic, who screened it in Zidane-crazy France, said the film "reaped a spectrum of reactions...ranging from rapt fascination to irritated boredom and ankling." But at the very least, check out the footage on the movie's Website (click on "Videos"). The images are really arresting--the filmmakers set up 17 cameras around the field to follow "Zizou" throughout a match--and Mogwai's rich musical score captures the emotion of stadium-as-cathedral. Thanks to Analogue for the tip.