Diamantes negros (2013) User Reviews

grim and downbeat drama

[gregking4 · 6/10 · 3 August 2014]

Every year hundreds of impoverished teens from Africa are lured to Europe by unscrupulous scouts with promises of fame, fortune and playing for a premier league football team. Their families pay money they can ill afford to help send them on their way, but the price that these kids pay is sometimes higher. But more often than not their dreams turn to dust and they are abandoned to the mean streets of European capitals. Some return home in disgrace and shame, others turn to a life of petty crime and drugs to support themselves. This grim and downbeat drama from Spanish director Miguel Alcantud follows two teens from Mali who dream of playing professional football in Europe. But while they may be good players on a dirt pitch in their small village, playing with elite stars of the sport in Europe is another thing. Black Diamonds has been inspired a true scandalous practice which is akin to modern day slavery and it is enough to make you angry about the callous and soul destroying practice. The two young nonprofessional actors who play the naive and optimistic central characters are good and deliver natural performances.

Very well made Spanish film denounces unscrupulous trade in African footballers

[Andy-296 · 9/10 · 2 August 2014]

Enthralling Spanish film about two teenage African footballers who are brought from Mali to Madrid by a couple of unscrupulous agents for a tryout at Spanish clubs. Once they are tried by some clubs and it becomes clear that they are not that good as footballers (for top level football, at least), they are unceremoniously disposed by the agents and end up in the street with no money either to survive in an unfamiliar city or to go home (many more things happen in the film, so I'm not telling the ending with this). Very well made and acted, both by the professional Spanish actors playing the immoral scouts (special mention to Carlos Bardem and Carlo d'ursi) and by the amateur Africans playing the footballers.