The 1980s and ’90s in Brazil were characterized by crime, poverty
and social unrest. In that darkness, Ayrton Senna represented a small
beacon of hope.
The recent ESPN Films documentary about the life and death
of the three-time world champion Formula One driver illustrates this
beautifully. Constructed entirely of archive footage and voice-over, its
simple presentation belies the complexities of its title hero.
Senna was a virtuoso behind the wheel of an F1 car, and his rivalry with
French driver Alain Prost takes on more than a little of the tone of
“Amadeus.”
Senna is the whimsical, boundary-defying Mozart, and Prost is the calculating, jealous Salieri.
Tragically, the parallels extend to the bitter end, with Senna sensing
his impending death and staring it down anyway, finally succumbing to a
head injury at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix.
“Senna” captures the
weight of his death with a dogged minimalism that persists to the last
frame. When the last title card fades, sports — and life itself — seem
to matter a little bit more.
Pole position for F1 doc
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