Mubi Monday: Senna (2010)

Here is my complete knowledge of Formula 1 motor racing. It involves some streamlined cars racing round and round a variety of tracks, throughout the season. There have been drivers named Damon Hill, Nigel Mansell, Michael Schumacher, Lewis Hamilton, Alain Prost, and Ayrton Senna. Ayrton Senna died on the track, a death that sent a shockwave through the racing world and devastated his many fans.

Now, having spent some afternoons clicking past Formula 1 because I found it boring, I didn't expect this documentary to work that well for me. I have come to learn a bit about the physical toll the sport takes on the drivers, and to admire the skill, but I will never be a huge fan. But that doesn't really matter here, because director Asif Kapadia keeps everything tightly focused, and the rules of the sport aren't that complicated to follow.

The first half of the film shows Senna rising through the ranks and becoming the teammate/main rival of Alain Prost, a rivalry that would define a few main seasons for both men, resulting in an astonishing end to things two years in a row (watch this to find out, or be reminded of, just how unbelievable things got). The second half feels heavily portentous, showing Senna growing more uneasy as he continues to push himself and any car he is driving to the very limits, and beyond, and speaks up on at least one occasion to address some safety concerns that he, and other drivers, felt could be improved.

The journey is a fascinating one, with Senna developing before our eyes from wide-eyed new kid on the block to more savvy old hand, burnt by experiences with the politics of the sport but still determined to never give less than 100% when behind the wheel.

Kapadia uses a great selection of archival footage, with some thrilling footage from the in-car cameras, and narration to tell a tale as gripping and intense as any fictional drama. It's a boy making good, overcoming some adversity in the shape of disapproving elders, and constantly looking to improve his potential, leading him almost inevitably to a tragic end.

In case it hasn't been made clear so far, this is an astoundingly good documentary. Fans of motor racing may enjoy it even more, but I cannot imagine anyone watching it and being unmoved by the depiction of the main events in the life of Senna. It has it all: humour, heart, thrills, some memorable "villains", and a very real, flesh and blood, hero (especially for anyone from Brazil).

9/10

You can buy Senna here.
Americans can buy it here.
And anyone can click on links and use those links to buy stuff, which helps me afford my movie-buying habit. So help an addict out.