Oscar-winning director Kevin Macdonald, who is not a football fan, was drawn to Pep Guardiola as a compelling character despite his Arsenal-supporting family's objections. The four-part Amazon series, "A Beautiful Obsession," chronicles Guardiola's final two seasons at Manchester City and launches exclusively on Prime Video in the UK and Ireland on August 19.
An Unexpected Collaboration
Macdonald first encountered Guardiola over a decade ago when hired to film an advert for Audi in Munich. Guardiola, then Bayern manager, failed to show up for the shoot and missed two reschedules, each coinciding with a Bayern defeat. This resulted in a triple payday for Macdonald. When they finally met in Manchester, it clinched the deal for Macdonald to direct the series.
"If you imagine Al Pacino playing a football manager, that's Pep," Macdonald told the Manchester Evening News. "Full on, full emotion, full emoting, totally sincere, seems incapable of not being who he is in the moment."
Unprecedented Access
All dressing room footage comes from Jon De Caux and his in-house team at City Studios, as Macdonald realized that having his own camera would hamper natural reactions. The club has chosen to air rows with former and current players, showing a level of tension striking for club media.
"That to me was part of what was exciting about the opportunity to do this," Macdonald said. "In the 1970s and 80s, crews would have been filming all of this but in a more media-controlled age it is harder and harder."
A Different Guardiola
Macdonald did not know Guardiola would leave at the end of last season when filming began, but believes the Catalan probably knew, given his openness in interviews. Guardiola never shied from discussing leaving or his divorce, a primary theme across episodes.
In a final interview weeks after leaving, Guardiola appeared more quiet, reflective, and calm, having just watched Scotland at the World Cup. He joked about Scotland looking for a new manager and mentioned focusing on his personal life, raising the idea he may never return to coaching.
"That they win everything and then he leaves would have been the dream story but in a funny way I think it's appropriate - and I know some people at City didn't agree with this - that they lose the last game," Macdonald said. "In a way, that's the journey that Pep has been on that it doesn't matter that much any more to him and that he can get on with life and not worry about winning or losing."
