The Munich premiere guests were looking forward to their cinema experience when one of the main actors came onto the stage in front of the screen for a short introduction – and had nothing better to do than reveal the film’s evil ending. Joshua Kimmich didn’t reveal that the groundskeeper would be the murderer, but it was enough that he insensitively anticipated the unhappy end of the European Championship elimination.
And by announcing the outcome of the story – “we are eliminated” – he had stated the truth that no one in the cinema audience wanted to hear. Yes, can’t at least the film have a fair ending when reality brings so much unhappiness? Can’t Cucurella at least be punished for his disgraceful handball on the screen of Munich’s Arri Theater and the German national team move into the semi-finals with a penalty goal?
“90 beautiful, feel-good minutes” – that’s director Tom Häussler’s synopsis for his film “Our Team,” which can be seen on RTL on Saturday evening. It shows the national team’s path through the European Championship, from the beginning in the training camp in Thuringia to the bitter farewell to the tournament headquarters in Herzogenaurach. Although the sadness of those involved at the end of the story does not fit in with the feel-good production, the efforts of the director and authors did not go so far as to rewrite the true story. In any case, the tearful night after the 2-1 defeat against Spain is a first-class dramaturgical template. The images of the players’ stunned blank faces and the muted original sounds from the Franconian location are among the most interesting elements of the film.
In addition to team captain Kimmich and national coach Julian Nagelsmann, a third main character in the film appeared at the Munich screening on Thursday evening, who was not necessarily expected to be on the cast list. Anton Schmaus, called “Schmausi” by the national players during the six-week European Championship trip, not only stood out as a cook at the tournament, but also as a speaker in the dressing room before the game against Spain. An astonishing and funny passage. The fact that Nagelsmann commissioned the chef to give the motivational speech before this big match is a revealing detail about the coach’s work and a real revelation – but pretty much the only one the film has to offer. How Nagelsmann operates in everyday operations, how he speaks to the team and the individual players, is otherwise only illustrated in selected moments with little depth.
Antonio Rüdiger is afraid of pets, Manuel Neuer does senior gymnastics
After the disaster with the documentary “All or Nothing” for the World Cup in Qatar 2022, which depicted national coach Hansi Flick so mercilessly truthfully in individual scenes that it exposed him, this time the DFB made sure that the pleasant impressions were created. At the Qatar World Cup, the association, plagued by financial difficulties, sold its objection rights to Amazon, and now it is asserting its influence. The result is a film that shows the players from their lovable side and describes the camp as a large family shared apartment, but there was probably no need for censorship here. Anyone who followed their summer could sense that this team, unlike its predecessor at the 2022 World Cup, had an intact inner life.
Now there are the appropriate pictures that explain a lot and bring the players closer to each other personally: A man who spreads as much good humor as David Raum is now happy to forgive technical weaknesses when receiving the ball. Robert Andrich’s coolness makes up for what he does with the constant change of hairstyles. Antonio Rüdiger is afraid of pets, Manuel Neuer makes self-deprecating jokes about his senior gymnastics, Niclas Füllkrug has as many clever things to say internally as he does externally – one can find modest joy in such casually documented events.
On the other hand, the film is not called “Our Team” for nothing. The title says almost everything about the journalistic, let alone artistic, approach; it sets the guidelines. It is a good idea to examine the impact of the German games on the country and to use examples to illustrate how international games are watched in women’s prisons, in hospitals and in concert halls. But in the end, the redundancy of the commitment to German identity, the talk about the unity of the people and footballers and the constant wallowing in emotions exhausts you. A few fewer minutes of well-being and instead additional time for sporting and intellectual discussion would have definitely been good for the matter.
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