Swedish filmmaker Ragnhild Ekner turns her camera toward football’s ultras, delivering a thoughtful, deeply felt documentary.
Motivated in part by the suicide of a close friend, she traces fan cultures around the world, pairing crowded stadiums with archival footage to fill in gaps and give voice to a subculture often dismissed as chaos.
Ekner eschews close-ups of faces, instead letting communities and rituals take center stage. What emerges is less a polemic on hooliganism than a lyrical tribute to belonging, freedom, friendship and devotion to the beautiful game.
On the ground and on the move
From the first scenes inside packed terraces, the film drapes the screen in color—flares, close-ups and slow motion preserving the electric atmosphere of match days.
She showcases tifos—handmade banners that bloom into living art—and the sense that the stadium is a shared stage for thousands bound by loyalty.
Across nations and histories
The journey spans Italy, Indonesia and England, with the filmmaker tracing how ultras culture varies while retaining an unmistakable core of communal energy. Indonesia’s PSS Sleman becomes a standout moment where fans sing in unison, even amid a chaotic frame, and the film notes the prominence of women within ultrà communities.
In the second act, Ekner threads darker notes through the tapestry—an interviewee recalling the Port Said massacre of 2012 connected to the Arab Spring, and a Manchester City supporter speaking to decades of change, including a move toward non-league life at Eastbourne Town.
A cinematic rhythm, a human tribute
Running just under 90 minutes, Ultras blends sociopolitical context with sensory spectacle, letting the atmosphere do much of the storytelling. The result is a humane portrait that celebrates the game as a shared, transformative experience rather than a cautionary tale about violence.
Source: Original article
