Sports dramas are always inspiring tales of hard work and resilience. There are countless stories, movies, television shows, and documentaries being made on this object, and they always leave the audience with a sense of awe. Many people work behind the scenes to make the athlete appear as fit as a fiddle. The Champion, the brand-new Spanish Netflix Original, is about a young footballer who has a great future ahead, but it is his emotions that could be his biggest enemy. The movie was released on July 12th, 2024.
This movie has a runtime of one hour and forty-five minutes. The Champion is about Diego, a star footballer with Atletico Madrid, dealing with issues concerning his anger and fame. His father is his mentor, and controls the boy’s life by making money through various sponsorship deals because of the craze about him amongst the fans and the club circuit. Diego’s anger issues became a problem, and as a result, he was benched for a few matches. Only a crisis PR stunt can help him become a better person in front of the media and make him a good candidate for other popular clubs who might be interested in having him on their team. Juanma, Diego’s manager, and Tito, the footballer’s father, hired Alex, an educational psychologist, to get the boy to control his anger and other emotions. Alex was the older brother of Juanma, and he knew his sibling was struggling with financial problems. Alex himself was struggling with social anxiety, and within a few meetings, he could sense the boy had a learning disability, which may have aggravated his emotional outbursts. Did Diego come to terms with the issues pointed out by Alex? Could Alex help Diego face his fears? What is the reaction of Diego’s father to Alex being part of the team?
It’s touching that the writer and the filmmaker used this platform to discuss concerns like social anxiety and dyslexia, especially among well-known personalities. Diego happens to be not just a great footballer, but his popularity has made him into a celebrity who is hogged by people and the media . The writer and the director do a good job of discussing the mental toll stardom takes on any famous personality. The movie helps understand how people around us shape the personalities we become. Diego’s relationship with his controlling father is a major part of the film and it helps the audience understand how parents can be toxic as well. There is always a stranger who will sometimes show us the right path, which is where Alex plays a crucial role.
The story of the movie is good, but it only deals with dyslexia on a surface level. There is no in-depth conversation about how he could be taught to deal with it. The way it’s presented it would only add to the confusion about this learning disability. The movie was more dialogue-heavy, but hardly described dyslexia-related concerns in the screenplay. There are only a few films that discuss mental health in-depth and The Champion is not one of them. The story deals with the difficulties Diego and Alex face daily; there is hardly any emotional quotient that is explored in the film. Not one scene in the movie is a tearjerker. The subject matter is such the writers and the director should have made the most of heartfelt emotions.
The Champion is a coming-of-age film but lacks a lot of aspects that would make one feel like they should step out of the box and surprise the world. The cliche and stretched ending adds to the angst that the film causes in the audience. The Champion has a good set up, but somewhere down the line, many subplots are just left unattended. There is a subplot about Tito and Juanmo trying to make Diego sign a contract by keeping him in the dark about it. Soon, this is forgotten, and it is hardly mentioned in the film. The anger and resentment established between Diego and his father lacks clarity. There are instances of people acting greedy once success gets to their heads, but this narrative is again showcased from a very black-and-white perspective. Diego has a change of heart, but the transition is sudden, and there is no catharsis explained to justify his switch.Â
The cliffhanger ending has to be the most annoying part of the film. There is no necessity for the film to have such a climax. We are guessing the film has been set up for a sequel to take on Diego’s story of fame and success. The movie could have been a good opportunity to talk about the fame and success and how they need the right people to make them feel grounded regularly. The direction of the film is interesting, as all the football shots and scenes from the stadium are well executed. Most of the direction of the film is concentrated on the relationship shared by Diego with Alex. There is hardly any chemistry between the mentor and the mentee, which only slows down the pacing of the film. Even though the runtime of the film is the bare minimum, the repeating narratives only make the viewing experience feel drawn out.
The performances are what make The Champion worth everyone’s time. Marcel Serrano is excellent as a football player, but he struggles with his anger issues and has no idea how to handle his fame. His performance does not feel over the top, even though a lot of scenes have him screaming at everyone close to him. Dani Rovira, as Alex, is excellent, as is the professor, who has experienced his fair share of trauma growing up. As a mentor, he does not want Diego to face what he experienced. Again, his performance is very subtle and does not take the loud route.
The Champion could have been a much better film if the makers had not presented a half-cooked story, hoping the audience would be happy with the filmmaker talking about dyslexia.
