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After the impressive limited release of the Pelé-orientated Once in a Lifetime, Benjamin and Gabe Turner decided to have their own stab at football fanaticism by giving another soccerball legend, Diego Maradona, the documentary treatment. In the Hands of the Gods follows five freestyle footballers who dream about meeting their Argentinean hero by hustling and busking across the Americas. The filmmakers have inevitably treated us to a mixed group in true reality style - Sami could well be a third protagonist in Hoop Dreams if he swapped sports, Jeremy is from a cereal packet churchgoing family, Paul appears to be the most hardcore fan of the tubby druggie and assumes the position of unofficial leader at the beginning of the quest, Danny is the kind soul who never hints at arrogance in regards to his remarkable ability, and Mikey is the cheeky Scouser who grew up with Wayne Rooney.
Aside from the questionable method of how the talented lads managed to blag free flights to New York at the start of the film, the journey from the Big Apple to Buenos Aires is a genuinely fascinating rollercoaster. Obviously authenticity will always be queried in a documentary such as this but when certain members of the group are having to live in poor shanty towns, perform for over twelve hours a day, and eat only cornflakes to get them closer to their aim, realism echoes throughout. The directors also litter proceedings with stunning visuals for the classic road trip feel - Vegas' neon and Christ the Redeemer in Rio are simply awe-inspiring to anyone, let alone a bunch of council estate unworldly-wise twentysomethings. When Mikey rings home with news of how big Texas is he sounds like a nine-year-old boy who is on holiday with a rich friend's family, basically showing off. The nicely paced editing also gives time to raw emotion - the Liverpudlian's individual show in a bar in particular illustrates what this all means. These guys can simply do anything with a football or anything circular for that matter, but it doesn't mean a thing unless they can meet the man who has influenced so many for so long. Squabbles occur and appetites are doubted but this is more than simply an exercise in bogus dreams and counterfeit reality as the filmmakers opt for a suitable climax.
The summary
The freestyle tricks are worth the admission price alone. In the Hands of the Gods is a documentary film which proves dreams can come true even if one has to pursue their fantasies to the far corners of the earth.
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