Pele: Birth of a Legend
English (U) Cast: Vincent D’Onofrio, Rodrigo Santoro, Diego Boneta, Kevin de Paula
Directors: Jeff Zimbalist & Michael Zimbalist

The film is all about Pele’s rise to an international soccer star. The rags-to-riches biopic begins with Pele’s (Kevin de Paula) childhood years.

It shows us how he was greeted with disdain for being barefoot during football matches. However, he never let poverty get in his way even when he is told to adapt to a much more sophisticated European football style by coaches. He eventually succeeds in promoting the unique Brazilian way of football which makes him stand out in the 1958 World Cup, where he scored goal after goal.

The movie tries to bring back Pele’s moments of glory on the field and, to some extent, succeeds in creating excitement. The directors make sure that the on-the-field scenes are as realistic as those seen in the old video clips where Pele practically ‘dances’ with the ball.
Despite the story being too predictable and the film’s lacklustre script, Pele’s success story in the face of adversity is enough to make you sit back and celebrate the life of the man who changed football forever.