Synopsis
Constructed from over 500 hours of never-before-seen footage, this documentary centers on the personal life and career of the controversial football player Diego Maradona who played for SSC Napoli and Argentina in the 1980s.
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Cast
- Diego MaradonaSelf (voice)
- PeléSelf (archive footage)
- Dalma MaradonaSelf, Maradona daughter (archive footage)
- Daniel ArcucciSelf, sport journalist (archive footage)
- Alberto BigonSelf, SSC Napoli Former Coach (voice)
- Gonzalo BonadeoSelf, sport journalist (voice)
- Corrado FerlainoSelf, SSC Napoli Former President (archive footage)
- Ciro FerraraSelf, SSC Napoli Former Player (voice)
- John FootSelf, historian (voice)
- Giannina MaradonaSelf, Maradona daughter (archive footage)
Recommendations
- 91
IndieWire
You couldn’t ask for a better match between filmmaker and subject. - 83
The Film Stage
Indeed, this is not just a sporting film but, like Amy or Senna, a film about the volatility of fame and genius and what those two things can do to humans. An interest in the game is probably as essential here as an interest in Formula 1 was for Senna. Which is to say: not a lot. - 80
The Guardian
Kapadia’s film is a gripping account of Maradona’s playing career until the mid-90s, though it is flawed by a lack of new material of the sort he had for his previous film about Amy Winehouse. - 80
Screen Daily
Even with an abrupt ending and the sense of unfinished business, Diego Maradona is more satisfying than Kapadia’s previous work. - 80
Time Out
Diego Maradona has the football and the drugs – think Scarface with screamers – but it’s a surprisingly emotional ride too. In the spirit of all good docs, it’ll make you reappraise your feelings about the man and the myths around him. - 80
CineVue
Ultimately, Diego Maradona is about the corrupting influence of exceptionalism – swept into the game and made financially responsible for his family at 15, the arrested development Maradona suffers is writ large and ultimately leads to his downfall. - 80
The Observer (UK)
I found myself gripped by a universally accessible tale of a divided soul – a figure whose dual personas are embodied in the two names of the film’s title; Diego and Maradona. - 75
The Playlist
Kapadia’s tight focus and compelling viewpoint make “Diego Maradona” a must-see for soccer fans, and certainly a biographical doc of interest to wider audiences.
