Football is sometimes much more than sweat and 22 men fighting for the ball. In 90 minutes, the history of two countries and the thirst for revenge also come into play. That was what happened between the Argentine and England teams, 40 years ago at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City.
The documentary “The party” by Juan Cabral and Santiago Franco rescues that story to bring it to the present, with a modern narrative and impeccable visual craftsmanship. This film, screened in its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, is built with testimonies, military statements, archive images and the voices of those who played that clash in the quarterfinals of the Mexico 86 World Cup.
The directors analyze all the elements that converged on the ground. The two nations had clashed militarily four years earlier for control of the Malvinas Islands. A war that ended with the surrender of Argentina, which aroused a strong feeling of injustice in that country that continues to claim its sovereignty over these islands.
“The party” makes a jump of 260 years into the past to explain the origin of the conflict. But it also includes the testimonies of some of the Argentine and English footballers who collided in ’86: Jorge Valdano, Gary Lineker, James Barnes, Julio Olarticoechea, among others. Everyone analyzes from their perspective the animosity on the field, Maradona’s first goal, the second considered the most beautiful in history, in an almost philosophical exercise about football and life.
Juan Cabral and Santiago Franco were at Carrusel de las Artes to talk about this documentary that can be seen next July, coinciding with the 40th anniversary of what is considered the most emblematic, but also the most controversial, match in history.
