James Review: Under the direction of Simón Brand, Netflix’s three-part documentary delves into the story of the life and career of James Rodríguez. With each episode lasting 40 to 50 minutes, the documentary delves into the life of a young football player in Colombia whose success at the 2014 FIFA World Cup made him one of the most recognisable players in the world of football. From the interview snippets to the personal moments shown in the documentary, Rodríguez’s success is highlighted along with the pressures he faced. Some of the featured guests in the documentary include Sergio Ramos, Radamel Falcao, Luis Díaz, and José Néstor Pékerman.
James Review
One of my favourite things about Netflix’s James is that, rather than focusing only on the achievements he has made in his professional life for the three episodes, much of the content focuses on the aftermath of the success and celebrity status. It is consistently emphasised throughout the documentary that Rodríguez was expected to uphold this level of success and become an idol not just for one team but for an entire nation.
Of course, a significant part of the Netflix sports docuseries James is dedicated to the FIFA World Cup held in 2014, as this was when all the changes occurred to him. The power with which it was done can be felt even nowadays, watching those fragments. Revisiting his goal scored against Uruguay made me recall the exact reasons why he attracted the attention of the whole football world after the end of this tournament. The mentioned event is depicted in the documentary as a turning point in the life of Rodríguez. Everything was paid much more attention to from then on.
What held my interest throughout the Netflix documentary James was the openness of Rodríguez regarding his tough times in his career. This includes injuries, criticism he receives from the media, consistency problems, and frustration when he is unable to be part of some clubs, even though he has a lot of talent. I believe the documentary only becomes more engaging after it delves into these challenges rather than highlighting his best moments. It also makes me interested in the show because I get to see James’ take on his experiences with Real Madrid C.F. and FC Bayern Munich.
The other point that the docuseries James constantly draws attention to is the difference between how James feels when he plays for his country versus his club. There is a great deal of emotion expressed in the parts where he describes playing for his country. One understands from these parts that no matter how great a player he became in club soccer, there was something very special about representing his country on the field.
Also, I liked how the series mixes interviews with footage from past matches and off-screen scenes. Interviews with Sergio Ramos, Radamel Falcao, and other people have provided more context about how much respect James earned while he was at the top of his game. On the other hand, archive footage is useful for showcasing just how crazy everything became during James’ period of success. You see crowds going wild whenever he scores, people cheering for him nonstop, and the press following his every move.
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With only three episodes, there are no unnecessary moments that drag out the entire documentary. Each episode revolves around one specific period of his career, yet the emotional aspect remains throughout. I have never been bored watching it since everything flows smoothly from success, failures, and introspection. Editing techniques are also similar to the sports documentary recently released by Netflix, with intense music and slow-motion scenes of football, yet it doesn’t become monotonous.
But occasionally, I must say that I found it somewhat restrained when critiquing James on some of his professional decisions and performances. It mentions injuries and training sessions in detail, yet at times, it can benefit from a closer examination of his games through football analysis. Those who are keen followers of his club career might feel that some aspects of the documentary were too lenient towards his shortcomings. Yet again, it needs to be noted that the primary focus of the documentary is not a technical discussion of his matches but an emotional one.
What I will remember about James is not just the football, but more than anything else, the loneliness of success. It seemed that the documentary was always reminding us of how hard it is for athletes to cope with the pressures that come once they become celebrities in the eyes of everyone else. For example, Rodríguez went from being a very good football player to becoming a symbol of hope for the whole country within the space of a day.
Netflix James Review: Summing Up
On the whole, Netflix Colombia’s sports docuseries James is a fascinating and authentic sports documentary, which becomes interesting by letting people discover the person beyond the public image. Even if one does not consider themselves a massive football fan, in my opinion, this show will be worth watching, since the essence of this docuseries lies not in goals, victories, or moves. What it is really about is pressure, self-identity, critique from outside, and the problem of having to make yourself once again after achieving something too young. It might not address all issues related to controversy, yet it does deliver a powerful tale about being famous and under pressure in today’s football.
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