|
Senna
| Released |
3 June 2011 |
| Director |
Asif Kapadia |
| Starring |
Ayrton Senna |
| Writer(s) |
Manish Pandey |
Producer(s)
|
Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner,
James Gay-Rees |
Origin
|
United Kingdom, France,
United States |
| Running Time |
104 minutes |
| Genre |
Documentary, sport |
| Rating |
12A |
|
|
Pole position.
For a sports documentary to work for a wider audience than just the fans it has to have drama, excitement and the power of personality. Asif Kapadia’s documentary about the Brazilian Formula One champion has all these qualities in spades; so much so that I found it to be one of my favourite cinema experiences so far this year, even though usually I can’t even abide the sound of the car engines.
Kapadia’s decision to only use old documentary footage to tell the story is key to its accessibility. We hear testimonials from Senna’s co-workers and family but visually we are kept in the narrative. And what a compelling narrative it is! From footage of Senna’s first carting victories to the driver’s pre-race meetings, we are given unprecedented access to the inner workings of the sport during a time when money and technology were working to change it forever. This was a change that never sat well with Senna himself, who proves to be a compelling and complex character. Renowned for his charm and good looks, he also held a deep spirituality tempered by ambition that sometimes led him to be reckless. He is a hard man not to admire and it’s not difficult to see how he became a national hero in his native Brazil.
This of course only makes the relentless march towards the inevitable tragedy of his death all the more distressing and the in-car race footage all the more terrifying. The film takes its time to examine the events of that final weekend at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix through race footage and from behind the scenes. As the accidents come thick and fast, the tension becomes almost unbearable. When I say it’s edge of the seat stuff, I’m not exaggerating in the slightest.
A fitting tribute to one of sport’s most compelling heroes, Senna is a great achievement and a must-see for fans of good cinema, whether you’re a Formula One fan or not.
-
Linda O’Brien |
