After making a couple of award-winning short films, US-based writer and director James Ross has come across the pond for his debut feature, shifting genre from horror to sports documentary. A lifelong Spurs fan, this biographical film charts the illustrious career of one of their most prolific strikers. Defoe came up playing on the streets of East London before competing at the highest level for West Ham United, Tottenham Hotspur, Sunderland, and more, and represented England on the world’s stage.
With our subject providing first-person insight along with archive footage and a mixture of well-known talking heads, Ross opts for a conventional, tried and tested structure. This familiar package might be quite safe, but it’s well constructed and nicely paced, plotting the highs and lows of a path that most modern football fans will feel familiar with. Defoe is perhaps most associated for his time at White Hart Lane but what sets his story apart from a lot of players is that he made a huge impact upon multiple clubs throughout his varied career, finally winning silverware at Rangers shortly before hanging up his boots for good.
Away from the pitch, the film focuses on aspects of his life which have shaped him as person. A child of a broken home with an absent father, he rose to prominence from unorthodox beginnings. Interviews with his mother and other members of his family help bring his grass roots to light, and Defoe comes across very humbly during the more emotional beats. Testament to his compassionate personality, his special friendship with young Sunderland fan Bradley Lowery is sensitively woven into the film. Bradley tragically died of cancer in 2017 at the age of six, and Defoe has continued to support a charitable foundation in his name.
A personal portrait of one of the Premier League’s greatest goalscorers, Defoe marks a promising documentary debut from director James Ross.
Cinema Perspective 