Senna

‘Senna’ is a documentary film about the life of Formula One racing driver Ayrton Senna. It is a film which tells you all about his career as a driver, his personal life as a hero in his home country, and his relationship with many different people, from the drivers he raced against to the people of Brazil. It is a fantastic film, and best of all, it can appeal to non-racing fans as well.

Personally, as I mention in the introduction post, I am a massive Formula One fan, and so naturally, a documentary about (arguably) the greatest driver to have ever lived is right up my street. However, it is not entirely about motor sport. A lot of the time, I got the feeling that it was a documentary about the trials and tribulations of a man who happened to be a racing driver. I think I’m going to review Senna from two points of view: the racing fan and the non-racing fan.

Firstly, for a documentary about Formula One, Senna is an absolute must-see. The footage in the film presents a journey through Senna’s career which you just cannot get from the history books. The way it presents his breakthrough race at Monaco is wonderful, and even the non-racing fan can find themself emotionally engaged in the film. It’s a weird experience when you are watching a film and you find yourself viewing the world through the eyes of the protagonist. At one point during his career, Senna and Prost collided at a corner in Japan, and Senna was forced to use the exit road to rejoin the race. He went on to win the race, and the world championship as well. However, his use of the exit road was deemed to be illegal (because it was) and he was disqualified. This is where the film gets fantastic because you find yourself genuinely disappointed, and with a distinct sense of injustice.

The racing side of the film generally focuses on the rivalry between three-time world champion Senna and four-time champion Alain Prost. This is one of the most famous and most thrilling rivalries of racing history. Because the film focuses on Senna, it inevitably portrays Prost as the bad guy, and the audience seems to develop some feeling of dislike towards him. While it is good that the film is so emotionally charged and engaging, many have criticised its portrayal of Prost, and the man himself even spoke out about how the film neglects to mention that they became good friends in the last months of Senna’s life. As a result of this, when you see Prost bearing Senna’s coffin at his funeral, you are a little bemused. The film presents Prost as ‘the enemy’ and so it’s a bit strange that he’s carrying the coffin.

However, this is the only real downside about the film. I thought that the coverage of the death of Senna was absolutely incredible. This is a subject that many have tried to cover, and many have failed. ‘Senna’ absolutely nails it. The build up to his crash is very imposing, and there is a distinct sense that something bad is about to happen. Those with foreknowledge about what happens will feel a big sense of foreboding, and those who do not know about Senna’s death can tell that something is about to happen. Some of the footage of his death is dealt with absolutely magnificently. It is in perfect taste, not focusing too much on what killed him, but not shying away from the details of his death.

However, Senna was not just a racing driver. The film tells you all about the massive contribution he made to Brazil, especially his hometown of Sao Paulo. This is where the non-racing fans can fill their boots. Just seeing the way that Senna was thought of in Brazil is absolutely incredible. The emotion that the public showed upon his winning the Brazilian Grand Prix, or just a simple visit is incredible. You definitely have the sense that this man was a national hero whose popularity transcended his success. Senna devoted a lot of time and money to improving Brazil at a time when the only thing worth celebrating was his success. Simply the number of people that lined the streets when his body was returned home is emotional enough. There is a good balance of racing and home life, and this serves to remind people that, while he was one of the all-time racing greats, he was also a wonderful philanthropist who never forgot where he came from.

Overall, Senna is a magnificent film, and a superb documentary. It is such an emotional journey through his life, and I think it would be very hard to watch this film and not engage to the extent that you feel emotions in line with what’s happening on the screen. It can appeal to racing fans and non-racing fans alike, and this is why it is so good. It is not just a film documenting Senna’s racing career, or the story of an incredibly charitable man, but both. It marries the two characters perfectly to produce an absolutely wonderful film. If you are interested in finding out more about this man then Senna should be your source of information.