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Fisher Stevens has a lovely tool in his bag of tricks forBeckham.
Its a visual gadget where the camera fixes its lens directly on the face of its titular subject.
But Stevens doesnt just limit this equipment to his star.
These shots add an affecting clarity toBeckham, an otherwise conventional celebrity docuseries.
(Beckham is an executive producer ofBeckham.)
Here, the Beckhams clear intent is to reclaim and exert further control over their narratives.
As a production,Beckhamis happy to oblige.
Stevens is an intriguing choice in this regard.
A prolific actor, hes most recently recognizable asHugo Baker, Waystar Roycos sweaty communications executive onSuccession.
More pointedly, the series is a subtle probing of Beckhams relationship with the sport and celebrity.
But this control is the docs ultimate flaw.
As much asBeckhamprobes them, it never fundamentally questions Beckhams choices and actions throughout his career.
As a documentary whose subject serves as executive producer, how could it?
(Beckham denies the allegations.)
The director also leaves plenty of other threads on the table.
How did Beckhamreallyfeel about that?
Its too neat to feel honest about the complicated life we watched play out across four hours.
