In one moment, story he is an unpredictable and self-centered bully who hits his opponent in the back of the head with his elbow. In another, buy he is a football master who has an uncanny ability to score some of the finest goals ever seen in the sports world.
Swedish footballer Zlatan Ibrahimovi? has always been two sides of a single coin. Becoming Zlatan, a documentary by two top Swedish film directors, the Gertten brothers, follows the origins of Zlatan’s professional career through previously unseen archival material.
In this film, the audience will see how 18-year-old Zlatan makes his debut in the ranks of the Malmö football team in 1999. In addition to his top sports performances, he also participates in some lowly acts. The documentary follows Zlatan’s life to major teams Ajax and Juventus.
The archival material – which includes scenes of Zlatan playing a first-person-shooter video game at his home in the neighborhood of Rosengård in Malmö – is complemented by interviews with his old team mates, coaches, and opponents. Among those interviewed is the legendary Finnish football player Jari Litmanen, who collaborated with Zlatan on the field with outstanding results.
Zlatan has not always been easy to get along with, even for his teammates, but that is just the way he is.
Zlatan himself has not been interviewed for documentary purposes since 2007, when he oversaw the opening of a football field named after him in his home neighborhood Rosengård in Malmö. By then, he was already a world famous football star.
Johannes Laitila / Translation: Sanna Parikka
Languages: Swedish, Dutch, Italy, English
Subtitles: English
- Director: Fredrik Gertten, Magnus Gertten
- Country: Sweden, Netherlands, Italy
- Year: 2015
- Length: 96 min
- Age limit: S
- Format: DCP
- Cinematography: Jon Rudberg, Caroline Troedsson
- Editing: Jesper Osmund
- Audio: Marcel de Hoogd, Charles Kerstens
- Production: Lennart Ström/Auto Images
Showtimes:
- Cinema Artis hall 1: Friday 29.01 - 19:00