After launching their career in documentaries by making a film about Swedish soccer team Malmö FF, the directors returned to the subject – after all, they were lucky enough to witness the rise of a soon-to-be superstar, Zlatan Ibrahimovic. This film chronicles the early phase of his career, from Malmö FF through Ajax, the successful Dutch soccer club, using spare footage from the directors’ earlier films and fresh interviews with various profiles from this period. Interesting to see how Zlatan went from a happy, charismatic teenager to the cold, inaccessible icon that we usually see now whenever he faces the press. Unfortunately, the film never gets close to the man himself, resorting to guesswork that leaves us none the wiser.
2016-Sweden-Italy-The Netherlands. 95 min. Color. Directed by Fredrik Gertten, Magnus Gertten.
Trivia: Original title: Den unge Zlatan.
