Netflix Doc "Poldi": A Film Beyond the Athlete Biography

Behind the camera are Nicolas Berse-Gilles and Simone Schillinger, who were also responsible for the ZDF documentary "Mission Sommermärchen." The film was produced by bildundtonfabrik, the production company behind the series "How To Sell Drugs Online (Fast)." The documentary follows Podolski, among other things, in sumo wrestling in Japan, cycling with his family, and at the Cologne Rose Monday parade.

A focus is placed on the private life of the native Pole, who, according to his own statements, runs a döner kebab chain, an ice cream parlor, and a music festival. Particularly touching is the first interview with his wife Monika Podolski – also originally from Poland – who is only heard as a voice in the film, not seen. The couple has three children.

Private Life in Focus

The fact that Monika Podolski agreed to speak into the microphone at all was not a given. "My wife was not someone who wanted to be in the spotlight from the beginning. We reached a compromise. People had to do a lot of convincing," Podolski told dpa. Monika Podolski speaks openly in the documentary about a marital crisis after Podolski's return to FC Köln in 2008: "There were moments in Cologne where we didn't speak to each other for a few weeks, where we argued, where we weren't together for a few weeks." However, both emphasize that they quickly reconciled.

Originally, the documentary filmmakers had planned to accompany Podolski during his last season as a professional at his youth club Górnik Zabrze in Poland. But then everything changed: "If you sleep, you lose," Podolski said when asked if he had thought about retiring. He surprisingly played another season, during which Górnik Zabrze became cup winners and vice-champions. "Why should you give up something you love so much?" he explained his decision.

Career End with Obstacles

The directors took it in stride. "If we had made a pure sports documentary, the very last season would probably have been more interesting. After all, Lukas became cup winner and vice-champion with his club. But our film is not a classic sports documentary," explained Berse-Gilles and Schillinger. Podolski himself sums up his attitude: "I have never defined myself by trophies. I love football too much for that, because it has much more to offer than just any trophies, but stadiums, fans, the whole thing around it."

The documentary also sheds light on aspects beyond the borders of German football. Podolski chats about companions like former national coach Joachim Löw, and at the end, there's a special twist concerning Mario Götze's decisive World Cup goal in the 2014 title win in Brazil. The filmmakers describe "Poldi" as "worth watching, entertaining, and creatively realized."

Context: Summer Fairy Tale and World Cup Anticipation

The streaming release falls into a period when Germany's 2006 football "Sommermärchen" (Summer Fairy Tale) reaches its 20th anniversary. Oliver Pocher has released a party version of his old World Cup hit, ZDF is showing the three-part documentary "Mission Sommermärchen" – and with "Poldi," a hero from that time opens the doors to a new Netflix audience. "And you are part of the journey," Podolski promises the viewers.

Podolski himself is satisfied with the result, even if the film turned out differently than planned. "There won't be anything else coming that you already know," he had said beforehand about typical athlete documentaries – and that is exactly what the creators around Berse-Gilles and Schillinger have achieved: a film about a player who seeks his own path between club stints, family life, and the everyday madness of professional football.