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Life being stranger than fiction and football being stranger than that, the makers of
Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait were given added publicity for the film when their subject head-butted his way out of the World Cup final. The hyphenated title is a clue though: this is not meant to be an ordinary football film.

Zidane is a kind of art-house documentary. The makers, who have a background in experimental film, have chosen to study this world famous footballer as he went about his work in a Real Madrid match against Villarreal in April 2005 � he has since retired from the sport.

The film is delivered in real time � its 92 minutes mirroring the actual game.
Most of the footage comprises of close-up shots of the French-born player waiting to receive the ball, playing the occasional pass and wiping his brow in extreme concentration. In the background music plays from Scottish band, Moloko. There are almost no words spoken although several quotes from Zidane himself appear, in text form, at the bottom of the screen. Close-up shots are intercut with occasional interludes of television footage giving the viewer a wider shot of the action taking place around, and sometimes involving, the midfielder.

It's this focus on the single player, among the 22 on the field, which gives the film some level of interest. The famous figures of players like David Beckham and the Brazilian, Ronaldo flash past the camera like ghosts; reduced to the role of background artists. For aficionados this type of view is many years old: it's called Player Cam.

A number of cutting-edge, high definition cameras were employed to capture the images under the supervision of well-known cinematographer, Darius Khondji (Seven, Panic Room). Despite this, the quality of footage was unimpressive overall; not appearing sufficiently enhanced over, say, an average game on Sky Sports (standard definition).

At half time in the game, some clips appear from Iraq of events taking place simultaneous to the action. The film makers appear to be alluding to a deeper meaning for their work here which felt more like an own goal than anything else.

Perhaps Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait will find its natural home in a modern art gallery, where it can be presented on huge screens and in high definition. Football fans should note that Zizou's two meaningful contributions to the match come toward the end of the second half: whether they merit the price of a cinema ticket is a moot point.