Review #136: 'Senna' (2010)

The documentary genre, in my opinion, is capable of reaching heights that is impossible for regular features. It has the advantage of being true, and a fascinating story told well that happens to be true is always going to be that little bit more special. True, it can be used as a propaganda tool, but after the documentary boom that started near to that start of the millennium (and it still going strong), the genre has been taken to new heights. And with Senna, a profoundly moving and thoroughly exciting film, it has blended documentary film-making with drama, action and a genuinely touching rags-to-riches tale that goes way beyond the sport of car racing.

Ayrton Senna was a Brazilian Formula One racing driver, who took the sport by storm in the mid-eighties with his no-holds barred attitude to driving, fierce competitiveness, and patriotism for his native country. Senna was simply untouchable. Tensions rose when his McLaren-Honda partner Alain Prost accused him of being reckless and dangerous in his driving, and the two fought for dominance until Prost eventually left. Yet Senna was always at the forefront at campaigning for safer conditions for him and his fellow professionals in the face of the politics of the sport, and it seemed inevitable that the sport would tragically kill him in 1994.

Being a person that usually falls asleep whenever Formula One appears on my television, I was more interested to see a documentary about the man himself. But kudos must go to director Asif Kapadia, as I was completely caught up in the archival footage of the races themselves. Added to the fact I didn't have a clue who won what, it was made all the more exciting. The film starts at a running pace and never lets up, much like Senna himself. It is never sidetracked and the pace is never held up by the use of talking heads - Kapadia instead has small soundbites playing over the footage, and therefore we never leave Senna.

The man himself, who I knew next to nothing about before seeing the film, seems as enigmatic and as captivating as his reputation precedes. He is portrayed here as spiritual, intelligent and warm. His rivalry with Alain Prost is often shown a little one-sided, with Prost being initially a bit demonised, but it makes the sight of Senna stood with him on the champions podium with their arms around each other years later, and eventually Prost carrying Senna's coffin, all the more profoundly moving.

As the tragic ends approaches, Kapadia shows how the drivers were getting increasingly concerned about safety, and Senna is always at the forefront of it. Here the film takes on an almost apocalyptic tone, as Senna's tragic death approaches. As the camera focuses on and studies Senna's face as he prepares for the race, it's almost as if he knows. He looks unsure, concerned, and yet somehow resigned to his fate. As if this is something he must do for the greater good. Perhaps I'm almost romanticising his death, but I was captivated by the man, and when the end came, I was deeply touched. A powerful documentary about a fascinating sportsman, and although it's not going to get me into the sport,  I certainly have a new-found respect for it.


Directed by: Asif Kapadia
Starring: Ayrton Senna
Country: UK/France/USA

Rating: ****

Tom Gillespie