Documentary about the DFB women goes in depth

Almuth Schult bears the strain with difficulty. She scolds and is close to despair, but still throws herself into every shot and onto the drizzle-soaked lawn, even as the ball repeatedly slips under her hands. The 31-year-old imagined her return to training to be easier and much less painful. “It’s brutal when your body has to switch back from pregnancy to competitive sport,” the VfL Wolfsburg goalkeeper later said in a halting voice in front of the camera – and wiped away a tear that was falling from her right eye with her finger . “The first thing you think about is what a stupid job you have.”

Indeed, the dedication with which the international toils away on her comeback to get back to a first-class level is exemplary. Especially since, as a mother of twins, she has to cope with everyday life that pushes her to the limits of her resilience.

More depth than the “summer fairy tale”

The documentary “Born for this – More than football” provides an insight into Schult’s emotional world and that of her teammates in the DFB jersey. The series, produced in cooperation with Warner Bros., will be broadcast in parallel by ARD, Sky and Magenta TV from this Wednesday, when the European Championship begins in England – and goes much more in depth than the “summer fairy tale” story that Sönke Wortmann who accompanied Jürgen Klinsmann’s men’s team in 2006 and only caught and broadcast what the association and national coach allowed.

The conditions are different now. There were no restrictions on what they were allowed to shoot, reported Martina Hänsel and Björn Tanneberger at the presentation of their work in a Frankfurt cinema. True to the motto that a well-made film has to make the protagonists shine, but can also hurt them, the director duo have been at work since spring 2021 and have accompanied the women intensively over the past 400 days. It began with one-on-one meetings in which the concept was explained, and through constant reunions a close cooperation developed, which did not lead to the mistake of presenting things more beautifully than they are out of misunderstood confidentiality, but also leaves room for breaks and discrepancies. As a result, the team draws a revealing self-image in which problems are not left out: This is how assistant trainer Britta Carlson describes the behavior of officials who groped her. “Which is a no-go,” as the 44-year-old complains.

“We wanted to turn on the light,” said Hänsel, explaining the reasons for the project, “to show personalities” who still receive too little attention from the (sports) public.

National coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg liked the premiere, for which she briefly interrupted preparations for the European Championship: “Great cinema: It’s honest, authentic, passionate and full of love.” So far, the first three episodes have been completed. The sequel is currently being produced during the EM.