In the Hands of the Gods
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''In the Hands of the Gods'' is a 2007
documentary film A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional film, motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". Bill Nichols (film critic), Bil ...
. The film follows five English
freestyle football Freestyle football is the art of juggling a football using any part of the body, excluding the elbows to the hands. It combines football tricks, dance, acrobatics and music to entertain onlookers and compete with opponents. The official governin ...
ers as they try to raise money by showcasing their skills, in order to fund a trip to
Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...
to meet their idol
Diego Maradona Diego Armando Maradona (; 30 October 196025 November 2020) was an Argentine professional football player and manager. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of the sport, he was one of the two joint winners of the FI ...
. The five freestyle footballers are: Sami Hall, Danny Robinson, Paul Wood, Jeremy Lynch, and Mikey Fisher. They have no money for food, travel, or accommodation. Two of them were actually living on the streets prior to starting their mission. Their journey takes them through North, Central, and South America and tests them both physically and mentally. It is a journey that takes them far from their homes on a trip that will change their lives forever. The title is a reference to Maradona's famous
Hand of God goal "The hand of God" ( es, La mano de Dios) was a handling goal scored by Argentine footballer Diego Maradona during the Argentina v England quarter finals match of the 1986 FIFA World Cup. The goal was illegal under association football rules bec ...
. The film was made by
Fulwell 73 Fulwell 73 is a British television, film and music production company based in London. It was founded in 2005 by brothers Gabe and Ben Turner, Leo Pearlman, and Ben Winston. James Corden became the fifth full time partner in January 2017. Ful ...
, a production company based in London, founded and run by Leo Pearlman,
Gabe Turner Gabe Emmanuel Turner (born 21 December 1980) is a British director and executive producer, known for directing the documentary films ''In The Hands of The Gods'', ''The Class of '92'', and '' I Am Bolt''. He is a partner at Fulwell 73, a product ...
, Ben Turner, and
Ben Winston Ben Winston is a British producer and director who established the production company Fulwell 73 with Gabe Turner, Ben Turner, and Leo Pearlman. He is co-executive producer of ''The Late Late Show with James Corden'' alongside Rob Crabbe and Mike ...
. The film was directed by the Turner brothers and produced by Pearlman and Winston.
Lionsgate Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation, doing business as Lionsgate, is a Canadian-American entertainment company. It was formed by Frank Giustra on July 10, 1997, domiciled in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and is currently headquartered ...
distributed the film in the United Kingdom and it was released on the opening weekend in over 60 screens, making it the widest-released documentary ever in the United Kingdom.


Plot

The movie follows five British freestylers from distinct backgrounds who try to track down Maradona. In order of appearance, they are Paul Wood (nicknamed Woody), Danny Robinson, Mikey Fisher, Jeremy Lynch, and Sami Hall. The freestylers fly to the United States to raise money for their trips across North America, firstly to perform on the streets of
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...
, as well as famous landmarks such as
Times Square Times Square is a major commercial intersection, tourist destination, entertainment hub, and neighborhood in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is formed by the junction of Broadway, Seventh Avenue, and 42nd Street. Together with adjacent ...
and
Central Park Central Park is an urban park in New York City located between the Upper West Side, Upper West and Upper East Sides of Manhattan. It is the List of New York City parks, fifth-largest park in the city, covering . It is the most visited urban par ...
. They travel to
Memphis Memphis most commonly refers to: * Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt * Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city Memphis may also refer to: Places United States * Memphis, Alabama * Memphis, Florida * Memphis, Indiana * Memp ...
and
Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...
, where they are used as half-time entertainment during a
FC Dallas FC Dallas is an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The club competes as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference in Major League Soccer (MLS). The franchise be ...
match. However, they do not have the money to go on a direct fight to Mexico, so they take a coach to get to
Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...
. The freestylers perform in different cities across the country, including at the
Azteca Stadium Estadio Azteca () is a multi-purpose stadium located in Mexico City. It is the official home of football clubs Club América and Cruz Azul as well as the Mexico national football team. The stadium sits at an altitude of above sea level. Wit ...
, where the
Hand of God goal "The hand of God" ( es, La mano de Dios) was a handling goal scored by Argentine footballer Diego Maradona during the Argentina v England quarter finals match of the 1986 FIFA World Cup. The goal was illegal under association football rules bec ...
took place. After it is revealed that the group have only have enough money for two plane tickets, they are unsure on what to do. Lynch wants the group to stay together, but tickets for the five of them would cost approximately $3000, which Wood thinks is unlikely to happen in such a short space of time. The group decide on a lucky dip and have it announced by two strangers; Hall and Robinson's names are the ones chosen. Robinson gives up his spot to Wood, mainly due to him feeling that Wood is a better freestyler. Hall and Wood travel further down South America towards Guatemala. The remaining three go back to the United States, in particular to
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
, where they perform at
Venice Beach Venice is a neighborhood of the city of Los Angeles within the Westside region of Los Angeles County, California. Venice was founded by Abbot Kinney in 1905 as a seaside resort town. It was an independent city until 1926, when it was annexed by ...
. Fisher gets increasingly frustrated with Robinson and Lynch, and feels that they are not taking the opportunity seriously. He strikes out on his own, making money off-screen, as well as performing at a bar, where he earns enough to buy a plane ticket to
Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...
. Hall and Wood stay overnight with a Guatemalan family, and travel across the country in a back of a pickup truck in order to get to
La Aurora International Airport La Aurora International Airport ( es, Aeropuerto Internacional La Aurora, ) serves Guatemala City, Guatemala. It is located south of Guatemala City's center and from Antigua Guatemala. It is administered by the Dirección General de Aeronáut ...
, where the duo fly to
Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...
. They reach the
Argentina–Brazil border The Argentina–Brazil border is the line that limits the territories of Argentina and Brazil. It is approximately long.1 Starting at the confluence of Paraná and Iguaçu rivers, it passes through the Iguaçu Falls and follows the thalweg o ...
by walking over a bridge connecting the two countries. Fisher goes to
La Bombonera The Alberto José Armando Stadium is a football stadium located in La Boca, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Widely known as La Bombonera (; en, The chocolate box) due to its shape, with a "flat" stand on one side of the pitch and three steep stands rou ...
, the home stadium of
Boca Juniors Club Atlético Boca Juniors () is an Argentine sports club headquartered in La Boca, a neighbourhood of Buenos Aires. The club is mostly known for its professional football team which, since its promotion in 1913, has always played in the A ...
. Maradona is a fervent supporter of the club, and Fisher hopes to meet him at the ground. He talks to Maradona's chauffeur on whether if it is possible to perform tricks in front of the car to attract Maradona's attention, but he barely gets a look in when a crowd surround the car as it drives off. Fisher is disappointed not to meet him, but since the brief interaction is the closest any of the five has come to meeting the Argentinean, Fisher believes that it will still be possible. He also meets a woman named Camilla, who acts as a translator for the rest of the trip. Hall and Wood arrive in Buenos Aires by coach, and are reunited with Fisher who explains the situation to them. Their freestyling draws a steady crowd of people, they meet Daniel Arccuci, a journalist for ''
La Nación ''La Nación'' () is an Argentine daily newspaper. As the country's leading conservative newspaper, ''La Nación''s main competitor is the more liberal '' Clarín''. It is regarded as a newspaper of record for Argentina. Its motto is: "''La Nac ...
'', and are photographed for a newspaper article written about them. They also go on a television show, ''Fox para todos'', which Maradona is known to watch and call in on. The taxi driver that takes them there stops by at Maradona's house, and lets a family member know about their appearance that afternoon. On the show, Wood reads out an impassioned speech in Spanish directed to Maradona. After the broadcast, presenter Germán Paoloski tells Fisher that Maradona was sleeping as he was set to fly out to Peru that evening, and Wood is clearly distraught having heard this news. They go to the
Ezeiza International Airport Ministro Pistarini International Airport ( es, link=no, Aeropuerto Internacional Ministro Pistarini) , also known as Ezeiza International Airport owing to its location in the Ezeiza Partido in Greater Buenos Aires, is an international airport s ...
in the small chance that they will meet Maradona there, however, Camilla speaks to his chauffeur, who tells her that the Argentinean would like to meet the three freestylers at his house. They finally meet Maradona, who embraces them, signs their shirts and poses with them for a couple of photographs, before he is driven off. Having earned enough money for two plane tickets to Buenos Aires, Robinson and Lynch arrive at the airport. They watch a news report documenting the others meeting Maradona; the final shot shows Robinson smiling, happy that his friends were able to meet their idol.


Reception

The review summary site
Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
shows 85% positive ratings among 13 reviews, and an average rating of 6.83/10. Laura Bushell of the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...
commended the Turner brothers' direction, as that without narration or on-screen input resulted in "a film that's not so much about football but about having a dream and summoning the drive and passion to pursue it". Andrew Pulver, writing for ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'', praised the eventual interaction between the five men and awarded the film 4 stars of 5. However, some critics were skeptical of the film's true intentions. David Gritten of the ''
Daily Telegraph Daily or The Daily may refer to: Journalism * Daily newspaper, newspaper issued on five to seven day of most weeks * ''The Daily'' (podcast), a podcast by ''The New York Times'' * ''The Daily'' (News Corporation), a defunct US-based iPad new ...
'', wrote that "the story's climax in Buenos Aires is unexpected, yet many scenes resemble staged reality TV moments: group hugs, tears, mumbled monologues about overcoming obstacles", while ''
Time Out Time-out, Time Out, or timeout may refer to: Time * Time-out (sport), in various sports, a break in play, called by a team * Television timeout, a break in sporting action so that a commercial break may be taken * Timeout (computing), an enginee ...
s David Jenkins awarded the film 2 out of 5 stars, stating that the "teary-eyed conclusion is clearly intended to have you punching the air in elation, but the message it delivers will actually leave you feeling quite cold."


Aftermath

* Hall had a short stint as a model, being represented by
Storm Management Storm Management is a British model agency based in Chelsea, London. Background Storm was founded in 1987 by Sarah Doukas in London. Doukas discovered Kate Moss, Cara Delevingne, Behati Prinsloo, and Anya Taylor-Joy. In 2009, Doukas sold a co ...
. He also appeared in the 2009 documentary ''
Oh My God Oh My God, O My God, Oh My God! or Ohmigod may refer to: * the first words of the Act of Contrition, a Christian prayer * a common phrase frequently abbreviated as "OMG", often used in SMS messages and Internet communication, and sometimes euphem ...
'', where he spoke about his faith. * Robinson briefly reunited with Wood and Lynch after the film's release. He remained on the freestyle circuit as late as 2009, wherein he went into coaching, and is part of the backroom staff at Pymmes SFA. * Wood went on to appear in the third series of ''
Britain's Got Talent ''Britain's Got Talent'' (often abbreviated to ''BGT'') is a televised British talent show competition, and part of the global ''Got Talent'' franchise created by Simon Cowell. Presented by Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly (colloquially ...
'', alongside his friend and fellow freestyler, Paul Klein, but did not make it to the live shows. He and Klein run a
YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
channel, although much of their material is now based on comedy and pranks. In addition, Wood has run a sports academy in his name since 2001. * Lynch went on to appear in the second series of ''Britain's Got Talent'', reaching the semi-finals. He later met fellow freestyler Billy Wingrove and the two formed
F2Freestylers The F2Freestylers, also known as The F2, are a British freestyle football duo comprising former amateur footballers Billy Wingrove and Jeremy Lynch. They are best known for their YouTube channel which has over 13 million subscribers. Early c ...
. They are known for their successful YouTube channel, where they have collaborated with many professional footballers, and have been involved in charity and exhibition matches, such as
Soccer Aid ''Soccer Aid'' is a British annual (formerly bi-ennial) charity event that has raised over £38 million in aid of UNICEF UK, through ticket sales and donations from the public. The televised event is a friendly-style football match between t ...
and the
Wembley Cup The Wembley Cup was an invitational football tournament. The only edition for professional teams was the first edition of the tournament which took place between 24 and 26 July 2009 at Wembley Stadium, Wembley Park, London, United Kingdom. The w ...
. * Fisher went on to appear in the fifth series of ''Britain's Got Talent'', but did not make it to the live shows. He has performed as an on-screen body double for professional footballers in various adverts, and was in an episode of ''
The Only Way Is Essex ''The Only Way Is Essex'' (often abbreviated as ''TOWIE'' ) is a British reality television series based in Brentwood, Essex, England. It shows "real people in modified situations, saying unscripted lines but in a structured way." Originally b ...
'' as part of a
speed dating Speed dating is a formalized matchmaking process which has the purpose of encouraging eligible singles to meet large numbers of new potential partners in a very short period of time. Organization Usually advance registration is required for ...
storyline. * Maradona was appointed manager of
Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
, a year after the film's release. Under Maradona, Argentina qualified for the
2010 FIFA World Cup , image = 2010 FIFA World Cup.svg , size = 200px , caption = ''Ke Nako. (Tswana and Sotho for "It's time") Celebrate Africa's Humanity'It's time. Celebrate Africa's Humanity'' (English)''Dis tyd. Vier Afrika se mensd ...
, despite equalling a record defeat, with a 6–1 loss to
Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...
. At the World Cup, Argentina reached the quarter-finals, where they were beaten 4–0 by
Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
. Maradona later managed clubs in the United Arab Emirates, Mexico and Argentina, and until his time with Gimnasia de La Plata, had never gone past a season with any of them. He was present as a spectator at the following
World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...
s in
2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
and
2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...
, hoping that
Lionel Messi Lionel Andrés Messi (; born 24 June 1987), also known as Leo Messi, is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward for club Paris Saint-Germain and captains the Argentina national team. Widely regarded as one of the ...
and Argentina would bring back the World Cup trophy since Maradona and his teammates won it in
1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. **Spain and Portugal ente ...
. His behaviour in the latter tournament caused concern among football pundits, including
Gary Lineker Gary Winston Lineker (; born 30 November 1960) is an English former professional footballer and current sports broadcaster. He is regarded as having been one of the greatest English strikers. His media career began with the BBC, where he has p ...
(who interviewed him in 2006 for a BBC documentary), where he was shown giving the finger to hecklers below, before slumping in his seat and being treated by paramedics, following Argentina's win over
Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
. Maradona is also the subject of the 2019 film ''
Diego Maradona Diego Armando Maradona (; 30 October 196025 November 2020) was an Argentine professional football player and manager. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of the sport, he was one of the two joint winners of the FI ...
'', which covered his time at
Napoli Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...
and is directed by
Asif Kapadia Asif Kapadia (born 1972) is a British filmmaker. Academy Award, BAFTA and Grammy winning director Asif Kapadia has made his name directing visually striking films exploring ‘outsiders’, characters living in extreme circumstances, fighting ...
. According to Kapadia, he had not seen the finished product. On 25 November 2020, Maradona died at the age of 60, after suffering a heart attack. Earlier that month, he was admitted to hospital for anaemia and dehydration, and underwent emergency brain surgery to treat a subdural hematoma.


Notes


References


External links


In the Hands of the Gods
at the
Internet Movie Database IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...
. {{Diego Maradona 2007 films Documentary films about association football British documentary films Films shot in Argentina Lionsgate films 2007 documentary films Documentary films about sportspeople Cultural depictions of Diego Maradona 2000s English-language films 2000s British films