Zidane, un Portrait du 21e Siècle (Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait) poster & wallpaper
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Zinedine Zidane, Cristiano Ronaldo

Acclaimed visual artists Douglas Gordon and Phillipe Parreno turn their attentions to filmmaking -- and one of Europe's leading soccer stars -- in this offbeat documentary. Zinedine Zidane is among th... read more read more...e most celebrated athletes in European football; playing for Real Madrid, the Frenchman has earned a reputation for graceful yet aggressive play and a confrontational style. Gordon and Parreno have made a film about Zidane, but viewers of Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait will learn nothing about his life off the field, and only so much about his work on it. Instead of telling Zidane's life story, the filmmakers set up 17 cameras around the field (with the help of cinematographer Darius Khondji) for a April 23, 2005, game against Villarreal and carefully followed Zidane throughout the game, even when he wasn't in play. The subsequent footage was used to create a portrait in motion of the athlete, much in the manner of a painter or photographer, accompanied by excerpts from recorded interviews in which the footballer discusses his attitude toward the game and his feelings on the field. Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait (aka Zidane: Un Portrait du XXIe Siecle) was screened at the 2006 Toronto Film Festival as part of the Visions series, devoted to maverick filmmaking from around the world. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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64% liked it

2,119 ratings

Critics

63% liked it

19 critics

Unrated, 1 hr. 31 min.

Directed by: Douglas Gordon, Philippe Parreno

Release Date: May 23, 2006

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Flixster Reviews (238)

  • MidnightMadwoman
    February 10, 2011
    MidnightMadwoman
    Oh my god, I hate this movie so much. It fails on every possible level. It's not an engaging portrait of a soccer player. It's not the chronicle of a fascinating sport. It's not even good cover of a soccer game. This is footage of a guy running around or, when he's not, shouting ... read moreor, when he's not, milling around. From 17 angles, no less. Why this is called a "21st century portrait", I'll never know. If it's meant to show us the real Zidane, why make a point of silencing his voice? If we're meant to see a master on the field, why not pick a game where he has more to do? This movie seems to be very securely anchored in time, but why then not cover THE GAME itself as best you can? In which case, focus those damned cameras on the freaking BALL. You want to emphasize a human star in this game? Then why not shoot every player equally and make your film out of the man who's the most active? What the filmmakers have successfully made here is a huge, long and rich film where nothing frickin' happens. Nothing happens in close up, and then nothing happen in wide shots, then nothing happens on video, then nothing happens in HD. Then something ALMOST happens, then something happens offscreen, when nothing happens on crummy, eye-bleed video. This is such a big pile of nothing.
  • SirPant
    October 1, 2009
    SirPant
    Tough one to rate this! I have to say i was expecting it to be better after a few recommendations from friends who assured me that it didn't matter that I'm not much of a football fan. They were right and wrong really. I think that if you a football fan you will love this film, I... read more could only really enjoy it's 'cinematography', for want of a better word. Its, at times, beautifully shot with some real magic moments, like when Zidane cuts his mouth after a header. I can't really put my finger on it but it was at times, just mesmerising. The build up music was a nice touch too but I found it irritating and overused by the end. In fact, I got a little tired of the film after about 40 minutes. It starts off as an intense, real life, ground level experience and then, after a random 'Here's what else happened in the world today' moment, it descended into some kind of overlong wanky Nike advert. You can't fault the passion, but at 90 minutes, its painfully long (and just a little dull)!
  • ironclad1609
    December 17, 2008
    ironclad1609
    This is an experiment. Filming Zinedine Zidane during a regular football match during his time with Real Madrid, with 17 cameras, watching each and every of his moves and sometimes showing quotes by the man. That's probably a feast for his fans and followers, but hardly watchable... read more even for regular football fans. The first 20 minutes nothing happens, whatsoever, and the rest of the game isn't exactly a classic either. Zidane walks around a lot, sometimes shows glimpses of his amazing talent. Once Mogwais fantastic soundtrack comes into play and Zidane gets more and more agitated about the game, things do get more interesting. Ironically the movie ends with him being sent off with a red card. For Fans only.
    But maybe I did it injustice when I started chatting while watching this after 20 minutes.

View All Zidane, un Portrait du 21e Siècle (Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait) Reviews

Critic Reviews

Manohla Dargis
October 24, 2008
Manohla Dargis, New York Times

You learn little by way of hard facts about the adored French soccer star and famous head-butter Zinedine Zidane in the formalist exercise that bears his name.

J. Hoberman
October 22, 2008
J. Hoberman, Village Voice

He's set apart not only as the piece's sole subject but because he's hyper-alert, continually responding to invisible forces, raptly focused on events beyond the frame. Full Review

Mark Feeney
May 4, 2007
Mark Feeney, Boston Globe

Alternately hypnotic and irksome. Full Review

Colin Covert
January 19, 2007
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune

The remarkably intimate camera work gives viewers the sense of being at this very big, very fast athlete's elbow throughout the 90-minute battle.

Ray Bennett
May 26, 2006
Ray Bennett, Hollywood Reporter

The World Cup-winning god of French soccer, Zinedine Zidane, is brought crashing to the ground in Philippe Parreno and Douglas Gordon's ill-conceived documentary Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait.

Leslie Felperin
May 25, 2006
Leslie Felperin, Variety

For that narrow cross section of auds passionate about soccer and experimental cinema, docu Zidane, A 21st Century Portrait will rep a masterpiece; for everyone else, pleasure will vary. Full Review

Matthew Nestel
October 27, 2008
Matthew Nestel, Boxoffice Magazine

In moments of stillness, a composition of fast jukes and stutter-steps delight the eye. It's a lot of hurry-up and wait at first, but well worth it come the film's finish. Full Review

David Fear
October 22, 2008
David Fear, Time Out New York

To see everything boiled down to one man's stillness and movement is a transcendentalist high, a concentrated dose of poetry in motion. Full Review

Bill Weber
October 21, 2008
Bill Weber, Slant Magazine

An overblown nearly-real-time documentary-cum-"art installation." Full Review

Mark Pfeiffer
February 12, 2007
Mark Pfeiffer, Reel Times: Reflections on Cinema

Watching a single athlete for the duration of a game is an interesting concept, but Zidane is better in theory than in execution. Full Review

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