Mexico · 2014
Rated G · 1h 30m
Director Vik Muniz
Starring Vik Muniz
Genre Documentary
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Documentary that explores the world's passion for soccer. The documentary follows acclaimed Brazilian artist Vik Muniz throughout the creative process for his new artwork leading up to the biggest sporting event in the world.
Muniz uncovers a raft of intriguing people and stories, with subjects ranging from sports to astrophysics, gender politics, history and developmental psychology, but he never sits still with them long enough to ask any probing questions, and the film never arrives at any real point.
The Hollywood Reporter by Frank Scheck
There’s certainly an interesting documentary to be made about soccer, the world’s most popular sport by far, but This Is Not a Ball isn’t it.
Los Angeles Times by Martin Tsai
The film is certainly interesting, despite the fact that it's a glorified promotional video for Muniz's installations.
The New York Times by Nicole Herrington
The journey, an exploration of the passion for soccer that evolves into a history of the ball (a sort of film version of the anthropologist John Fox’s 2012 book, “The Ball”), is somewhat illuminating, often indulgent and never wholly satisfying.