Football and film usually make for uneasy bedfellows.

Well, apart the possible exception of Escape to Victory which is so ludicrous it's actually quite good.

Even football documentaries can often he too syrupy and over the top in their quest to capture the drama and emotion of the beautiful game.

Pelada, however, successfully manages to break that mould.

Away from the bright stadium lights and manicured pitches, Pelada (the Brazilian term for naked) focuses on the people who play the game simply for the fun of it.

The film follows Luke Boughan and Gwendolyn Oxenham, two self-described 'has-been' ex-college players, who quit their jobs to explore their shared passion of football.

Their year-long adventure sees them travel to 25 countries searching for pick-up games anywhere they can from alleys, side streets to concrete courts.

Armed with just a ball and a thirst for adventure, the couple's journey see them bribe their way into a notorious Bolivian prison to play against in-mates, compete for cash in a tournament held at a Nairobi slum and with 80-year-olds in Brazil who play barefoot with a child-like enthusiasm.

On the whole, Pelada shows that football can help dissolve the boundaries between language, gender and culture.

Although in Jerusalem, where they join in a game between Arabs and Jews just a day after a terrorist attack, it seems the game cannot rise above religion and politics. At the top level, those who earn their living from the game are often accused of being overpaid, spoiled and out-of-touch with those who pay to watch them play.

Pelada, though, provides a refreshing take on the game which when stripped down to its most basic form is capable of uniting people everywhere.