This film is currently unavailable
The Goalie's Anxiety At The Penalty Kick
Unavailable for three decades, Wim Wenders’ 1972 classic about an errant footballer who turns to crime; restored and remastered in stunning 4K.
Director: Wim Wenders
Overview
Goalkeeper Josef Bloch (Arthur Brauss) is sent off after committing a foul during an away game. Losing his bearings, he wanders aimlessly through the unfamiliar town, spends the night with the box-office attendant of a movie theatre and commits a crime. But instead of turning himself in or fleeing, Bloch goes to his ex-girlfriend’s place in the country and passively waits for the police to catch him.
As Wenders himself has stated, the visual idiom of Hitchcock’s films provided the model for his debut film. He adheres minutely to the thoroughly “cinematic” source, a novella by Peter Handke. With his cameraman Robby Müller and his editor Peter Przygodda - both of whom had already worked with him on his film thesis at the HFF (Munich University of Television and Film) - in The Goalie's Anxiety At The Penalty Kick, Wenders set forth a collaboration that would weld this team together for years. Unavailable on home video in the UK since the BFI/Connoisseur Video's 1991 VHS release, this early Wenders classic returns in a fabulous new 4k restoration.
moderate violence, dangerous behaviour
Related
Urchin Urchin
Drama 2025 99 mins Director: Harris Dickinson
The debut feature from actor Harris Dickinson sees a homeless addict get a shot at recovery and redemption.
The Kingdom The Kingdom
Crime 2024 111 mins Director: Julien Colonna
A teenager is taken to a Corsican villa where her fugitive mob boss father is hiding, before an assassination attempt forces them to go on the run.
Sex & Fury Sex & Fury
Crime 1973 89 mins Director: Norifumi Suzuki
This wildly violent ‘70s Japanese sexploitation film about a gambler hunting her father’s killers was a key influence on Tarantino’s Kill Bill series.
Nightcrawler Nightcrawler
Crime 2014 118 mins Director: Dan Gilroy
Jake Gyllenhaal stars as a crime journalist scouring the streets of after-dark LA in a stylish thriller that examines the morals of mass media.
G.B.H. Grievous Bodily Harm G.B.H. Grievous Bodily Harm
Thriller 1983 73 mins Director: David Kent-Watson
A bouncer is enlisted to fight off a mob boss, in this barmy, shot-on-video cult actioner from famed Mancunian hardman Cliff Twemlow.
Benny's Video Benny's Video
Crime 1992 110 mins Director: Michael Haneke
Michael Haneke’s drama explores a teenager’s obsession with screen violence, and his inability to distinguish between reality and fiction.
Wings of Desire Wings of Desire
Fantasy 1987 128 mins Director: Wim Wenders
In director Wim Wenders' (Paris, Texas) most metaphysical work, a guardian angel desires nothing more than to be human.
Paris, Texas Paris, Texas
Drama 1984 145 mins Director: Wim Wenders
The late, great Harry Dean Stanton's finest role came as the near-mute Travis, on a journey across America to reunite his family, in Wim Wenders' moving tale of loss and redemption.
The Exterminating Angel The Exterminating Angel
Drama 1962 93 mins Director: Luis Buñuel
Buñuel’s surreal, darkly satirical masterpiece about a group of wealthy dinner guests finding themselves inexplicably unable to leave the room.
In My Skin In My Skin
Drama 2002 95 mins Director: Marina de Van
Marina de Van’s deeply personal debut about a young woman's addiction to self-mutilation stretches the body horror genre in new ways.
Viridiana Viridiana
Drama 1961 91 mins Director: Luis Buñuel
Banned in Spain, condemned by the Vatican and celebrated at Cannes, Buñuel’s satire about an aspiring nun takes a stinging crack at society.
Simon of the Desert Simon of the Desert
Biopic 1965 45 mins Director: Luis Buñuel
Silvia Pinal's Devil torments and tempts a holy man in Buñuel’s final Mexican film, which features the most thrillingly unexpected ending.
The Ice Tower The Ice Tower
Fantasy 2025 117 mins Director: Lucile Hadzihalilovic
Marion Cotillard brings a thrilling magnetism to this snowbound tale of obsession and wish fulfilment between an actress and a young runaway.
Rhianna Dhillon's Fresh Starts Rhianna Dhillon's Fresh Starts
Short documentary 2026 11 mins Director: Henry Barnes and Maha Albadrawi
Critic and broadcaster Rhianna Dhillon selects her pick of the films that will help you make a change for 2026.