Saturday, April 11, 2009

I do Culture Vultures too...

ah, a rainy Saturday.

My soccer game was canceled, so a friend and I headed to the MFA. Not for paintings. But for Zidane.

I've been waiting to see this film for almost 2 years, waiting to catch it on a large screen with huge sound. The film focuses 17 HD cameras on Zinedine Zidane for 90 minutes of a Real Madrid soccer match, following his every step, pass, and drop of sweat. Switching between high angle shots from the stadium lights, to an amazingly close perspective from behind Zidane's head, the film gives a narration-less commentary on the experience of a professional athlete. With a soundtrack by the English noise band Mogwai, the footage of Zidane, Beckham, Raul, and Roberto Carlos rises to stunning emotion, then falls as players tap in grass divots when play stops.

Warning: this film will not turn you into a soccer fan. It will make you wonder what thoughts run through an athletes' head as they are surrounded by thousands of rabid fans.

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