Rights holder / Distributor: Universal Pictures
Ronaldo is a 2015 British sports documentary film directed by Anthony Wonke. It was released in the United States on November 10, 2015, on video distribution, following its global release on November 9, 2015.
Ronaldo follows the life and career of Cristiano Ronaldo during a period when he was one of the most famous footballers in the world. The team filmed for 14 months and gained access to his family, friends and loved ones. Along with his football career, the documentary shows his daily life as a father, son and friend.
The camera also returns to earlier moments in his life, combining interviews with Ronaldo and his family with archive footage and material from his football career. Topics include his relationship with his mother and siblings, as well as the absence of his father, who died in 2005. The period in which the film was shot coincides with his years as a leading player for Real Madrid.
Anthony Wonke builds Ronaldo as a documentary portrait that relies more on direct access to the character than on a traditional outsider narrative. The film was shot in various locations, including Madrid, Lisbon, Madeira, Brazil, and the United States. The cinematography is by Mike Ealy and Neil Harvey, and the music is composed by Walter Mayer.
The production is connected to the team behind the documentaries Senna and Amy, executive produced by Asif Kapadia. This also explains the desire to take a closer look at the public figure beyond the usual sports reporting. Instead of limiting himself to matches and statistics, Wonke places the footballer in his family and everyday environment.
In the documentary genre, the concept of "acting" has a different meaning, since the participants do not play fictional roles. The focus is on the person himself. Cristiano Ronaldo, who participates through interviews and footage from his daily life. His presence in front of the camera is natural, and the personal access allows him to be shown not only as a football player, but also in his relationships with his loved ones.
Among the participants are also Dolores Aveiro, Cristiano Ronaldo Jr., Hugo Aveiro, Elma Aveiro, Katia Aveiro, Rio Ferdinand and other people from Ronaldo's professional and personal circle. Their conversations and presence complement the portrait of the footballer and provide different perspectives on his life. David Morrissey features dramatic voice-over.
Ronaldo is a documentary about a man whose professional career is already well-known to millions of viewers, but here the focus shifts to the life behind the footballing glory. Its most interesting aspect is precisely the access to Ronaldo's personal space and the presence of his family. Archive footage and conversations complete the picture of the path from childhood to the top of professional football.
The film is not intended to be a sports chronicle with detailed examination of individual matches and statistics. Instead Ronaldo focuses on the nature of the public figure and the cost of living under constant scrutiny. For football fans, it is an opportunity to see Cristiano Ronaldo in an environment rarely seen in traditional sports broadcasts, and for other viewers, it remains a concise portrait of one of the most recognizable figures in modern sports.
