"Incomparable and unprecedented"

"It's an intimate insight into the everyday life of professional footballers. The camera is always close at hand. After victories, but after defeats too," reported Ruhr Nachrichten to its readers. nordbayern.de, the online portal of Nürnberger Nachrichten and Nürnberger Zeitung, declared: "By German standards, the aforementioned insights are incomparable and unprecedented. The stars, who otherwise adorn posters in children's bedrooms, come across to the viewers as real people."

"It was certainly an unusual situation, the camera was there every day. Even in the changing rooms, which is a sanctuary for a big team," explained team captain Marco Reus at last week's premiere, adding: "It's great stuff that the viewers got that close-up access."

"The new Amazon documentary paints the picture of a club with an emotional touch," wrote Neue Westfälische, adding: "The documentary gives some intimate insights into the tactical tricks that coach Lucien Favre, who is known for being a detail-obsessed ditherer, deploys to guide his team." The editor at Ruhr Nachrichten was not the only one to recommend the four-part documentary to fans of other clubs too. "The result is more than six hours of highly exciting material with intense, special and unique insights. Not just for fans of Borussia Dortmund. It's an authentic glimpse behind the scenes at one of the biggest clubs in Europe." It was a conclusion shared by Neue Westfälische, which wrote: "The documentary is an experience for all – not just for BVB fans."

Media reviews

Neue Westfälische: The new Amazon documentary paints the picture of a club with an emotional touch. In a manner that is sometimes emotional, sometimes highly analytical, Inside Borussia Dortmund documents how BVB finished as winter champions before throwing away a nine-point lead over FC Bayern – and how that somehow once again fits in with their image as a likeable club from the Ruhr, a workers' club which repeatedly bounces back from the fateful hands it is dealt and which no-one would've begrudged the title. The documentary gives some intimate insights into the tactical tricks that coach Lucien Favre, who is known for being a detail-obsessed ditherer, deploys to guide his team. Another wonderful touch is the German lesson with Axel Witsel (Belgian) and Paco Alcácer (Spanish), in which two adult men have a look of schoolboy discomfort on their faces as they are asked for their homework.

nordbayern.de: Inside Borussia Dortmund consists of only four episodes but its enormous depth is what sets it apart. Viewers quickly notice that, unlike elsewhere, players are not forced to conduct themselves in interviews like smooth-talking phrase mongers who act as puppets for the club spokesman. Due to the way the season unfolds, the almost unrestricted access enjoyed by the creative team results in unsparing and sometimes highly emotional images of a nerve-wracking season run-in, which generates much frustration among players, fans and club officials. By German standards, the aforementioned insights are incomparable and unprecedented. The stars, who otherwise adorn posters in children's bedrooms, come across to the viewers as real people.

WAZ: At the half-time interval, assistant coach Edin Terzic picks up his laptop in order to explain to the players once more what they need to do. It's insights like these that the Inside Borussia Dortmund documentary provides. The viewer experiences genuine insights, at least to some extent, as the camera rolls over a period of several months in which BVB miss out on title after title. Some clubs would probably have stopped filming work during such a difficult period, but Dortmund let it continue. As a result, one gets to know the club inside out, although one cannot expect for every door one would like to look behind to be opened. The end result is a good, sometimes emotional but never cliché portrait of one of the most successful German football clubs. No sparkle, no glamour, but an authentic piece of Dortmund and a healthy portion of the Ruhr region.

WELT: BVB consciously decided to go for the Grimme Award-winning Pause for the production of this inside report. The unobtrusive narration style of his football films (among them "Trainer!" and "Being Mario Götze"), which do not possess a classic narrator, generates closeness. In this case to the lives of the players: their everyday existence and the stress they're exposed to. This happens in the form of a look behind the scenes. The film tells the rollercoaster story of last season, during much of which BVB looked certain to become the new German champions – before ultimately falling short. Time was set aside for the film. Coach Lucien Favre, for example, explains simply yet very graphically how his team's self-confidence evaporated.

RN: Following more than half a year of filming work and countless hours in the editing room, an unprecedented project has finally been completed. It offers an intimate insight into the everyday life of professional footballers. The camera is always close at hand. After victories, but after defeats too. Julian Weigl can be heard ranting in the changing rooms ("We're playing like little children") following the 5-0 loss in Munich. The result is more than six hours of highly exciting material with intense, special and unique insights. Not just for fans of Borussia Dortmund. It's an authentic glimpse behind the scenes at one of the biggest clubs in Europe.

Headlines

WELT: "Fantastic stuff"
NEON: "This documentary series will even turn Schalke supporters into secret BVB fans"
WAZ: "Stadium becomes cinema as BVB documentary debuts"
Ruhr Nachrichten: "An authentic look behind the scenes"

"Inside Borussia Dortmund" has been available to Amazon Prime members since 16 August. The four-part series made by film-maker Aljoscha Pause, who exclusively accompanied the team throughout the 2018/19 season, closely examines the inner workings at BVB. The first three episodes will appear weekly each Friday. The last episode will be released on 13 September.