Tag: Spain

Soccer movie or película de fútbol directed or produced by people or company in Spain or of Spanish descent, or about futbol in Spain

Comedy

Bravo for ‘Las Bravas FC’ (2022)

Post author By MJ-A
Post date September 25, 2022

Las Bravas FC (2022)

It’s a shame that shows like Las Bravas F.C. get so little traction and attention in the world of futbol. It’s a cute, entertaining series that abounds with examples and themes of diversity, inclusion, and female footballer role models. Lead actor Mauricio Ochmann is a popular telenovela star with a charisma that echoes Ryan Reynolds and with an unnerving resemblance to Mikel Arteta. But I only came across this enjoyable series while scrolling through HBO Max. So I suggest you watch it while you can.

Tags HBOMax, Mexican, R8, Series, Spain

Documentary

Review: ‘Otra forma de entender la vida’ (2021)

Post author By MJ-A
Post date November 21, 2021

Otra forma de entender la vida (2021) Another way of living

What does it take to win your league during a pandemic? In this documentary, the answer is to tackle one game at a time: partido a partido. What does it mean to win your league during a pandemic? Just as much as winning during a regular season. Maybe a great deal more, because the stakes are so much higher on and off the pitch.

Tags R7, Spain

Documentary Short

Paloma Freestyle: ‘All I Need is a Ball’ (2020)

Post author By MJ-A
Post date September 12, 2021

All I Need is a Ball (2020)

Paloma Pujol is on a mission in Madrid. She is a world class, professional female freestyler. But amongst 100 freestylers in Spain, she is the only female. Paloma sets out to change that.

Tags Female Footballers, LGBT, R8, Spain, women director

Documentary

Barça under Pep in ’Take the Ball Pass the Ball’ (2018)

Post author By MJ-A
Post date September 11, 2020

Take the Ball Pass the Ball (2018)

The Year of the Pandemic has been wickedly bloodthirsty as it feasted on the faltering FC Barcelona. Internal scandals led to Barcelona’s crunching 2-8 exit in the 2019-2020 Champions League quarter-finals, the messy Messi situation, and the attempt of Barça’s fans to expel the board. Even if you’re not a Barça fan, it’s hard to watch such an admired club implode so quickly.

Tags British, Coaching, First-feature, R8, Spain

Documentary

In ‘Fuera de Juego’ (2017), the wait continues

Post author By MJ-A
Post date August 30, 2019

Fuera de Juego (2017) - Offside

Fuera de Juego (Offside) has won awards for pondering the question: why aren’t there openly gay male pro soccer players in Spain? This question could equally be asked in many other countries. The sad truth for LGBT players is that coming out of the closet could destroy one’s career.

Tags LGBT, R6, Spain

Documentary

‘Barça Dreams’ (2015) – the FCB brand begins at home

Post author By MJ-A
Post date December 31, 2018

Barça Dreams (2015)

FC Barcelona is “Més que un Club” – More than a Club. And if you had any doubt, you should watch the documentary Barça Dreams. At 2 hours, this is probably the longest soccer documentary I’ve ever seen. Writer-Director Jordi Llompart covers the club’s history and culture, which has fermented and evolved since 1899. There is a lot of ground to cover, and it goes way beyond the pitch at Camp Nou, their fútbol stadium.

Tags R8, Spain

Comedy

‘Holy Goalie’ (2017) is one of the best soccer comedies

Post author By MJ-A
Post date July 12, 2018

Holy Goalie (2017) - Que baje Dios y lo vea

I am mystified that the Spanish media was mostly critical of Que baje Dios y lo vea (Holy Goalie), faulting it as clichéd and unimaginative, with actors in roles not much different from what they portray on popular TV shows. One writer even complained that there were too many jokes. Does Spain have the best television comedy in the world, so that this film pales in comparison?

Tags R9, Spain

Documentary

Football is medicine for ‘The Other Kids’ (2016)

Post author By MJ-A
Post date November 13, 2017

The Other Kids (2016)

First-time Director Pablo de la Chica initially set out to make a documentary about the young Ugandan players who had a chance to visit FC Barcelona in 2007. While investigating, de la Chica found Mubiru Reagan playing soccer in a garbage dump near the Mandela National Stadium.

The landfill is heavy with the toxic smell of burned plastic, but Reagan plays joyously while wearing a Fernando Torres jersey. Reagan is only 5 years old, but his skill, confidence, and positivity make him the leading goalscorer.

Tags Africa, First-feature, R7, Spain

Documentary

Remembering the Zambian NT in ‘Eighteam’ (2014)

Post author By MJ-A
Post date January 31, 2017

Eighteam (2014)

As much as I like parts of the film Eighteam, much of it circumnavigates the tragic plane crash that killed almost the entire Zambian National Team on April 27, 1993, off the coast of Gabon.

Tags Africa, R6, Spain

Comedy Cultural Drama

Soccer fans bind together in ‘La Gran Final’ (2006)

Post author By MJ-A
Post date May 17, 2014

La Gran Final (2006) - The Great Match

Soccer cannot unite the world. But for a few hours, the motivation to watch a game allows people to set aside their differences. La Gran Final is a triptych of disappearing cultures joining with the modern forces that swallow them, to watch, with ebullient shared enthusiasm, the 2000 World Cup Final of Germany versus Brazil.

Tags fans, R10, Spain

Kids

Review: Carlitos y el Campo de los Sueños (2008)

Post author By MJ-A
Post date May 17, 2014

Carlitos y el Campo de los Sueños (2008) - Carlitos and the Field of Dreams

Carlitos and the Field of Dreams is predictable but enjoyable. Carlitos, a 12 year old orphan, sneaks out of the orphanage with the help of his fellow inmates, in order to play for Spain’s junior national team. The orphanage’s maintenance man becomes the team’s coach, and the pair help win the European Junior Cup.

Tags R6, Spain

Comedy

‘Dias de futbol’ (2003) a funny Spanish buddy film

Post author By MJ-A
Post date May 17, 2014

Dias de futbol (2003) - Football Days

Días de fútbol, or Football Days, is a pretty funny Spanish buddy film about 7 men who resolve to enter and win a soccer league in order to cheer up Jorge, who has been dumped by his long-time girlfriend. All of the men have troubled love lives, and they are all terrible soccer players. They are led by Antonio, an ex-con with anger management issues, who wants to become a psychologist and tries to solve everyone’s problems.

Tags R6, Spain

Comedy

‘El Portero’ (2000) a pretty Spain in the ugly era of Franco

Post author By MJ-A
Post date May 17, 2014

El Portero (2000) - The Goalkeeper

In El Portero, a former Real Madrid goalkeeper known as the King of the Penalty Kick, travels the Spanish countryside, wagering men to score against him. The villagers and the underground openly express their opposition to the repressive military dictatorship via a comedic penalty kick shootout versus the soldiers.

Tags Politics, R6, Spain

Comedy

Review: ‘El penalti más largo del mundo’ (2005)

Post author By MJ-A
Post date May 17, 2014

El penalti más largo del mundo (2005)

The Longest Penalty Kick in the World is a Spanish film that is so horribly boring I had to keep rewinding to watch the parts I had dozed through.

Tags R1, Spain