Senna, The Movie

It was more than a year ago that I first heard that a major motion picture documentary chronicling the life and career of Ayrton Senna was in the works. As a devoted Formula 1 fan, I was thrilled and couldn’t wait to see it. I closely followed the film’s international release and the rave reviews that it received. Then a friend of mine in the movie industry called from the Sundance Film festival to tell me that he had just seen the documentary and that it was the best movie he had screened at the event. Needless to say, all of this made me very anxious to witness the film in person. Today, I finally got my chance and it was well worth the wait.

This thrilling documentary by filmmaker Asif Kapadia tells the story of Senna’s career with breathtaking emotion. It begins by recounting Senna’s humble beginnings in karting when – according to Senna – racing was pure, without the stain of money or politics – and ends with his tragic death in a mysterious 1994 crash. In between, the film elegantly portrays Senna’s rise through the F1 ranks with the Toleman and Lotus teams and eventually to McLaren where he would win three world championships by age 31. The film does an adept job at exposing some of the political forces that aligned against him – like the French FIA boss who seemed to do all he could to favor Senna’s teammate and nemesis Alain Prost. But what the film does best is reveal the personal relationships that Senna developed during his career and the remarkable impact that he had on the lives of those around him.