A film in which the phenomenon of soccer is tackled in a very original way. The tone swings between earnest and irony. Documentary-maker Michael Glawogger followed the achievements of the Austrian national football team on their way to the World Cup in France. He watches the matches in the preliminary rounds against Cameroon, Chile and Italy through the eyes of different supporters: a reporter, a bank clerk and his mother, a blind man, an alcoholic and the coach of a youth team.In Frankreich, wir kommen, it is not the achievements of the team that are the most important, but the scenes in front of the TV. The rising emotions, the patriotism, the hope and the disappointment. Austria is not a major soccer nation as the maker is painfully aware. He is unconditionally on the side of the fans, but is more aware than they are of the limitationsof the Austrian team.Glawogger does not limit his interest to soccer. He uses the often humorous portraits of the fans to provide a striking picture of Austrian society today. Despite his great love of the sport, he also has an eye for the occasionally bizarre excrescences of what can be called an international media phenomenon.
