The Goalkeeper's Fear of the Penalty

The Goalkeeper's Fear of the Penalty (German: Die Angst des Tormanns beim Elfmeter; also known as The Goalie's Anxiety at the Penalty Kick) is a 1972 German language drama film directed by Wim Wenders. It was adapted from a novella by Wenders' long-time collaborator Peter Handke.

Plot

A goalkeeper is sent off during a game for committing a foul. He spends the night with a cinema cashier, whom he afterwards kills. Although a type of detective film, it is more slow moving and contemplative than other films of the genre. It explores the monotony of the murderer's existence and, like many of Wenders' films, the overwhelming cultural influence of America in post-war West Germany.

Origin of the title

Late in the movie, the goalkeeper and a local policeman attend a football game, and witness a penalty kick. The goalkeeper describes what it is like to face a penalty: should he dive to one side, and if he does will the kicker aim for the other? It is a psychological confrontation in which each tries to outfox the other. In parallel with this the goalkeeper, rather than go on the run, has returned to his home town and is living in plain sight. He doesn't know if the police are looking for him in particular, and the police are not necessarily looking for someone who isn't trying to hide. His friend the policeman is on the lookout for the suspect in the murder, but there are no eyewitnesses who can link the goalkeeper to his victim. He might be a suspect, but only if he acts like one.

External links

• Official website
• The Goalkeeper's Fear of the Penalty at the Internet Movie Database
• The Goalkeeper's Fear of the Penalty at AllRovi