11/03/2025 - Martyn Robertson’s straightforward but uplifting documentary offers a glimpse into community solidarity via a young footballer who seeks to cycle from Glasgow to Munich after a near-fatal accident

“I want to inspire others to just do it instead of hesitating and worrying about what will happen,” begins 18-year-old emerging footballer Ethan Walker, the subject of Martyn Robertson’s Make It to Munich, the world-premiering closing film of the 2025 Glasgow Film Festival. The Scottish documentary is a conventional but wholesome piece of inspiration fuel, telling the story of young Walker, who resolved to cycle the roughly 1,200 kilometres from Glasgow to Munich just nine months after being near-fatally injured by a motor vehicle while on a football scholarship in the USA.

Ethan’s objective is to eponymously “make it” to the 2024 UEFA European Football Championship, also known as the Euros, for the Scottish national team’s game against the German team. Decked out in cycling gear and armed with the Scottish national team’s UEFA pennant, he is joined on this journey by filmmaker Robertson, Ethan’s knee surgeon Gordon Mackay and cyclist Stephen Collie, who offer companionship and other crucial pieces of the story. Mackay explains his background and how he sought to repair Ethan’s knee, which Robertson offers us a glance at via footage from his post-surgery recovery. Likewise, Collie proffers his athletic expertise and witticisms along the way.

The filmmaker quickly makes viewers feel personally along for the journey with the subjects through a variety of simple but effective techniques. GoPro-style cameras are attached to the bicycle handlebars and the helmets of the cyclists, recording footage much like a video diary composed of both candid moments and explanatory narration. At other times, the camera actively captures conversations between Ethan and others – or else encounters that occur in towns along the way, such as with a joyous street busker – revealing spontaneous, reflective moments that encapsulate the motivation behind the trip.

Ethan says he’s “not at all a cyclist”, but luckily, he’s also got a team of volunteer drivers supporting the group, and viewers also see the effort put in by these members of the project. Talking-head interviews with Ethan’s mother Jaclyn, father Paul and sister Sienna further reveal the emotional times during Ethan’s stay in hospital. The slight slur in Ethan’s words and his slow pace of speech betray the other dimensions of his bright outlook, which obscures the difficulties that he faced and continues to face as he attempts the trek.

Accompanied by a breezy, light-hearted score by Scott Twynholm, the film's 90 minutes feel like more than enough time – but could benefit from a bit of trimming – given that the dialogue-heavy content tends to get slightly repetitive. But Robertson smartly offers us enough diversity of perspective and doesn’t rely solely on Ethan’s point of view, also depicting the community solidarity around him and the journalists who are documenting the project. At certain moments, the film borders on promotional, but at least much of its promotional value lies in its unending optimism – and the uplifting message is that one can bounce back from anything, even if that’s not such a complex takeaway.

Make It to Munich is a UK production by Glasgow-based Blackhouse Films in association with Glasgow’s Urbancroft Films. Its world sales rights are up for grabs.