Pete’s Film Club: The Keeper

The episode begins with the hosts introducing the film 'The Keeper,' a 2018 biopic about Bert Troutman, a German POW turned talented goalkeeper for Manchester City. They discuss Troutman's backstory, focusing on how he was discovered while playing football at a prisoner-of-war camp and later signed by Manchester City despite protests over his German heritage after World War II.

The film highlights key events in Troutman's life, including his broken neck during the 1956 FA Cup final, the tragic death of his son, and his eventual recognition for fostering good relations between England and Germany. However, the hosts critique the film's tendency to incorporate fictional elements, questioning the accuracy of certain dramatic scenes, like Troutman saving a child during the war and the romantic elements of his story. They express concerns about the effectiveness of presenting historical atrocities in a dramatic context.

Overall, the film is described as competent but flawed, with the hosts pondering how well it does justice to Troutman's complicated legacy given the potentially rich historical storytelling available. The episode wraps up with a discussion of the film's reception and whether it aligns with the reality of Troutman's experiences, yielding a mixed critical response from the hosts.