Senna Review

Senna was released in cinemas earlier this year to near universal acclaim and picked up a handful of Awards at a number of film festivals. Telling the life story of Ayrton Senna, the brilliant Brazilian Formula 1 driver, director Asif Kapadia compiled mountains of archive footage of to paint a compelling portrait of one of the sporting world’s most exciting characters.

It has been said before by a great number of reviewers in their glowing write-ups of the film, but it bears repeating: an interest in Formula 1 is by no means required to enjoy the film. You may even enjoy it more the less you know about its subject matter. Previously, I found Formula 1 tedious and dull and would be loath to even recognise it as a proper sport (sure, it takes a fair amount of physical prowess to handle one of the machines, but surely sports have to incorporate a certain amount of exercise?). Having watched the film, I have been made aware of the drama and politics that go hand in hand with Formula 1. It’s exciting stuff.

And Senna’s career was little short on drama. Like all the best documentaries (such as Touching the Void or Grizzly Man for example), there’s something so innately cinematic about Senna’s career that if it wasn’t already true, it would be necessary to invent it. You have the plucky hero whose swift rise to success is only threatened by his sneering, calculating (and French) partner-turned-rival (Alain Prost). There’s hubris and pathos, conflict and revenge, setback and success, triumph and tragedy. There’s even a rom-com subplot (okay, subplot is an exaggeration, but Senna does have one of the funniest ‘meet-cute’ scenes I’ve ever seen).

You could argue – correctly too – that we only ever see the Senna that Kapadia would have us see. So whilst his occasional ruthlessness and pig-headedness is sometimes demonstrated, Senna is most often portrayed as heroic and altruistic figure. One imagines a rather different depiction would be made of the man were the film about Prost.

Still, that criticism could be levelled at any documentary, so let’s not split hairs. Senna is one of the most exciting films of 2011 in any genre and its DVD release will serve as an excellent Christmas gift for the F1 enthusiast in your family – or just a cheeky gift to yourself.