Senna (2010) Review: Exhilarating and Poignant!

Documentaries may or may not hold your attention long enough to see them through to the end, but if there is one documentary that you must watch its Senna by Asif Kapadia. Kapadia, who is well known for his Award-winning 2015 film Amy, based on the life of Amy Winehouse, is a master of the biographical documentary genre. In Senna, which is based on the life of Brazilian Grand Prix legend Ayrton Senna, Kapadia has excelled even his own lofty standards.

Ayrton Senna was an interesting character – as a 3 time world champion he was one of the most successful drivers in the world of F1, he was handsome and soft-spoken and he achieved everything in a short life of 34 years as he died in a crash at San Marino Grand Prix in Italy on May 1st, 1994 – 25 years ago. The fact that Kapadia uses contemporaneous interviews of Senna and others to tell the story of this maverick while weaving it with videos from the races as he hurtles like a speeding bullet makes the story compelling and glues the viewer to their seats.

The movie starts with Ayrton Senna’s stunning arrival on the world stage in the 1984 F1 season. The movie shows the true genius of Senna in wet conditions by showing how, in the Monaco Grand Prix he came agonizingly close to defeating greats like Nikki Lauda and Alain Prost. The film touches on all aspects of Senna’s career and his ascension as one of the greatest drivers in the history of F1 and the bitter rivalry between him and Prost, the Frenchman who was the reigning champion at the time forms one of the key focus points of the movie.

The one minor qualm that I have with Senna is that while focusing on his professional career, the film does not talk much about the impact of his successes and failures on his personal life. But that choice seems deliberate on the part of the director as he wants the viewer to realize how impressive his achievements were and why he is still remembered now, 25 years after his death.

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Speaking of death, the final scenes in the movie which show that fatal crash and its aftermath are a powerful conclusion to the life story of the illustrious champion. The soundtrack adds a lot of character to the movie. The film is poignant and yet thrilling even for viewers who may not be a fan of the sport. A hearty recommendation for anyone who wants to see a brilliantly crafted movie about the life of a true genius, just keep the tissues handy.