Synopsis
Against the backdrop of a turbulent era in Brazil, this documentary captures Pelé's extraordinary path from breakthrough talent to national hero. Mixing rare archival footage and exclusive interviews, this documentary celebrates the legendary Brazilian footballer who personified football as art.
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Cast
- PeléSelf
- ZagalloSelf
- Gilberto GilSelf
- Benedita da SilvaSelf
- Fernando Henrique CardosoSelf
- AmarildoSelf
- Roberto RivellinoSelf
- Robert F. KennedySelf (archive Photos)
- Muhammad AliSelf (archive Footage)
Recommendations
- 85
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
Pelé is a terrific examination of the player, the man and his status in recent Brazilian history. It’s about his astonishing skill, his World Cup victories and defeats, and his celebrity. But at its core it’s about how Pele legitimized the dictatorship that governed Brazil during the later portion of his career. - 60
The Guardian
This valedictory film allows sober recognition for all that he did. - 60
The Hollywood Reporter
As much as Pelé inspired love and awe among his fans, this polished and well-intentioned biography doesn’t quite do the same. - 60
The New York Times
I did yearn to see more of his talents in action; his header goal in that year’s Italy final feels cosmically liberating. But however conventional as a whole, the movie feels troubled by the traumas of Pelé’s heyday. - 60
The Irish Times
Nicholas and Tryhorn’s new film for Netflix, though plenty laudatory, presents a contemplative Pelé that appears human after all. - 50
RogerEbert.com
To see him wrestle with his own past, the pressure of a whole country’s dreams, and the relief of making them come true, is occasionally riveting, but it’s also what makes Pelé all the more a missed opportunity for a sharper portrait.
