When I heard that a movie was going to be made about Formula One driving legend Ayrton Senna, I had no idea what to expect. He died when I was just 14 and I remember watching the moment with my dad when arguably the greatest racing driver that ever lived crashed into the wall at the Imola Grand Prix losing his life after part of the suspension broke off in the crash deflecting onto his helmet. So many people around the world saw that moment and were in just as much shock as I was. We all know what happened (and if you don’t, fear not!) but this documentary pieces it all together in 100 minutes showing much footage which has never been seen before.
The documentary spans from Senna’s early life where he raced in the Karting World Championship right through to that fateful day on May 1st, 1994 at the San Marino Grand Prix at Imola. It’s directed by Asif Kapadia (see our interview with Asif tomorrow here) who at he Q&A which followed the movie told us that he chose to use only archive footage after spending 10 days at media mogul Bernie Eccleston’s private archive which has no one has ever had access to before now. A lot of the movie focuses around the controversy from the Senna / Alain Prost days during their time at Malbaro McLaren Honda.
I’d like to point out that this movie isn’t about Formula One specifically but uses the sport as a catalyst to follow the story of a man who was the best at what he did and was an inspiration to his home country of Brazil as well and to he multitudes of fans around the globe. If you’ve never seen or heard of Senna, still go and see this movie as you’ll absolutely love it. It has collected best documentary awards at both Sundance Film Festival and SXSW this year in the US which is a testament to the power of this movie.
The score that is used in the movie (created by Brazilian composer Antonio Pinto) is spot on and works perfectly with the comedic moments (of which there are many) just as much as the sad moments. There are times in the documentary where you’ll gasp or verbally express the shock just to express what you’re seeing on screen.
I’m not sure I’ve cried as much in a movie as this since The Passion of the Christ. I thought it was absolutely amazing! I was in a room full to he brim win Americans which, after a poll by Kapadia turned out that half of whom had never even heard of Senna but the standing ovation which followed the movie is a testament to the amazing story that they have put together. Just like Attack the Block, it seems the US distributors are nervous to release he movie for fear that no one will to go see it but if you’re a fan of sporting triumph or just an inspirational story, you’re going to come out of this one with your mind blown.
I cannot convey how much I loved this documentary, all I can do is urge you to go and watch it when it’s released in cinemas or on DVD / Blu-ray late his year.
Senna is released in UK cinemas 3rd June. GO AND SEE IT!
(5/5)
About David Sztypuljak
