The Keeper tells the true story of Bert Trautmann (David Kross, The Reader), a German soldier and prisoner of war who, against a backdrop of British post-war protest and prejudice, secures the position of Goalkeeper at Manchester City, and in doing so becomes a footballing icon. His signing causes outrage to thousands of fans, many of them Jewish. But Bert receives support from an unexpected direction: Rabbi Alexander Altmann, who fled the Nazis. Bert’s love for Margaret (Freya Mavor), an Englishwoman, carries him through and he wins over even his harshest opponents by winning the 1956 FA Cup Final, playing on with a broken neck to secure victory. But fate will soon twist the knife for Bert and Margaret, when their love and loyalty to each other is put to the ultimate test.
“A heartfelt and sympathetic story.” — Peter Bradshaw, Guardian
“A number of omissions skew the full story, but a charming and often enlightening watch all the same.” — Ella Kemp, Little White Lies
“The Keeper’s insistence on seeing the good in all its characters and giving them the happy ending they were probably denied in real life has its charms.” — Ed Power, Daily Telegraph
Marcus H. Rosenmüller
David Kross, Freya Mavor
UK