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SWEDEN 58. THE LOST IDENTITY

SUECIA 58. LA IDENTIDAD PERDIDA

By Leonardo SASLAVSKY

LEONARDO SASLAVSKY (INDEPENDENT) - as PROD / FIN

Documentary - Completed 2018

The documentary reconstructs the performance of the Argentine national team at the 1958 World Cup. The film tells the adventures of a team adrift on a journey to Sweden full of anecdotes.

Festivals
& Awards

22 Festival de Cine de Lima 2018
Más Allá del Fútbol
Tercer Tiempo - Festival Mundial De Cine Futbolero 2018
Ventana Sur 2019
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    • Year of production
    • 2018
    • Genres
    • Documentary
    • Countries
    • ARGENTINA
    • Languages
    • SPANISH-ARGENTINE
    • Budget
    • 0 - 0.3 M$
    • Duration
    • 71 mn
    • Director(s)
    • Leonardo SASLAVSKY
    • Writer(s)
    • Leonardo SASLAVSKY
    • Producer(s)
    • Leonardo SASLAVSKY
    • Synopsis
    • The documentary Suecia 58. La identidad perdida (Sweden 58. The Lost Identity) follows the performance of the Argentine national football team at the 1958 FIFA World Cup in Sweden. After a 24-years’ absence in the tournament, the South American squad was to face the mighty German team, led by coach Sepp Herberger, who had prevailed at the 1954 Cup in a memorable 3-2 final against Hungary that was to be known as ‘the Miracle of Bern’.
      The overwhelming 3-1 defeat at Malmö against the Germans revealed the physical and technical shortcomings of the Argentine team in contrast to the ascending powers of European football. And these shortcomings continued to surface until the very last match, a devastating 6-1 landslide against Czechoslovakia—the worst in history—that was the last nail in the coffin of the criollo style, which had historically been at the core Argentine football narrative.
      The year 2018 marks the 60th anniversary of the event known as ‘the Sweden disaster’. The film tells the adventure of those 22 players and coach Guillermo Stábile, who journeyed almost adrift, in very precarious conditions, to a remote, unknown land, in an attempt to redeem Argentine football in its comeback to the World Championships.
      At the same time, through the protagonists’ own accounts (the testimonials from members of the ‘58 Argentine team José Francisco ‘Nene’ Sanfilippo, Alfredo ‘Tanque’ Rojas, and Osvaldo Cruz), the documentary also traces the historical path of the criollo style born in Argentina in the early 20th century.
      Moreover, renowned sports journalist Enrique Macaya Márquez contributes his chronicle of the first World Cup he covered on site, which makes up the thread that runs throughout the documentary. Horacio Pagani, another vastly experienced journalist, also gives his valuable account of the years leading to the ‘58 Cup, while sociologist Pablo Alabarces covers the theoretical approach to the identity issue in Argentine football.
      Another unique trait of the film is the use of different forms of archive material, such as seldom-seen original footage, unreleased radio recordings, and abundant photographic and print material.
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