The very best documentaries should not only inform and entertain viewers with a working knowledge of their areas of scrutiny but also engage the interest and emotions of those who know little (and perhaps care even less) about the subjects. Recent homegrown examples include Julien Temple's brilliant Oil City Confidential, which proved a satisfying and thoroughly cinematic experience for non-aficionados of Dr Feelgood's brand of "Thames Delta blues"; and TT3D, which found in Guy Martin a voluble mouthpiece for the madness of the Isle of Man motorbike races that almost every year claim lives.
Equally remarkable is the emotional conjuring trick performed by director Asif Kapadia with Senna (2010, Universal, 12), which delves into the world of Formula One racing, arguably the most elitist, non-inclusive sport in the world. In a crucial and telling moment, the film's eponymous enigma reveals a longing for the pure sportsmanship of his early go-kart races, before money and politics became the driving forces with which he had to contend.
The triumph of Kapadia (ably aided by writer Manish Pandey and editors Chris King and Gregers Sall) is to draw the focus away from the businessy hubbub of F1 and concentrate instead on the chalk-and-cheese dynamic between two characters whose rivalry provides the real heart of the piece.
Investigating the long-standing friction between Ayrton Senna and one-time team-mate Alain Prost, the documentary charts a path that sees differing worldviews colliding head on, often right there on the race track. In this admittedly selective portrait, Prost is cast as the well-oiled machine, a numbers man who understands the statistics of victory and prevails more through doggedness than daring. By contrast, Senna is a wild card: the passionate, hot-blooded Brazilian who loves his country and his countrymen (for which they love him back) and will risk life and limb once he has picked up the smell of the chase. In a sport in which the technology and cost of the car are increasingly the defining factors, Senna seems to offer a much needed human touch.
Eschewing formulaic talking heads, Kapadia draws on a wealth of home-movie footage, media reportage and TV race coverage, painting Senna as a national hero who wasn't afraid to go his own way. Although it's hard to imagine anyone having avoided news coverage of the fallout from Senna's final race, let me just say that this electrifying documentary is as dramatic, suspenseful and tragic as any feature film I have seen this year and I encourage those with zero affinity for fast cars to seek it out forthwith."
Reply With Quote
Originally Posted by jacksmar
