The mention of Ayrton Senna must invariably evoke several emotions and elicit strong sentiments, be it in Brazilians or in Formula 1 aficionados. Ayrton Senna, a charismatic driver coupled with his good looks, went on to be a strong working advocate addressing the necessities of his homeland. However, in 1994, Ayrton Senna succumbed to a tragic car accident during the pole position at the San Marino Grand Prix at the tender age of only 34 years. The narrative constructed by the excellently edited archival footage complemented by the documentary style of Asif Kapadia’s 2010 movie Senna, is commended as the best motion picture that sums up the life of the racing great. Senna’s life drives the point of living life to its fullest and not regretting it. Netflix’s latest series based on his life and portraying his thrill-seeking lifestyle is entertaining but lacks fuel to push till the end.
Showrunner Vicente Amorim gives Senna the kind of legend-building story Perfect Forged into a Crown, and yes of course, starts from the unfortunate car crash that would eventually take his life. The talented baby-faced Gabriel Leone begins with Senna’s childhood love for driving a car which was instilled in him by his rich father whilst in Brazil. (Can a show even take a wild guess that baby Senna would find the shimmer behind the wheel of a Parked vroom-vroom car?)
From there onwards, we watch as Senna goes from doing professional go-kart racing to competing in Formula Ford and other categories. His love for racing and determination to win races is infectious as well, but sometimes it clashes with the narrow point system used in the leagues. From simple winning ambitions, we move on to even greater stories, such as beating anti-Brazilian racism in the European racing circuit while also butting heads with Alain Pie Stim Toyota experiences Mella, a French racing driver who is Sam’s teammate. Caroline has drawn Simon.
In the end, it all hangs on Leone, who is able to patch the engine’s many cracks with his dedicated turn. Little else can be said to describe him more accurately, as for the real-life portrayal of Senna he bears the non-hectic confidence and the paranoia of a child, all in one. More often than not, the film’s screenplay fails to offer him any other layer of humor to be added in is not quite the idea behind Amorim’s depiction of Senna unfortunately but he does, however, masterfully bear the weight, annoyance, and pleasure of Senna’s role.
Nonetheless, the main attraction is the races themselves, action-filled segments that are beautifully cut and shot to give the sense of great velocity together with Senna’s position among the other racers. While some of the latter ones I think appear a bit more CGI-collaborative (never go “Speed Racer” enough as I’d like), there is a sort of practical realism in the gear changes, tire squeals and low-angle close-ups of Senna through steering wheel. They do hold up reasonably well to similar scenes in “Rush” and “Ford v Ferrari” presumably with less funding. It also helps that every new race throws a new challenge to Senna, accepting the duct tape he sticks on his car before it burns him to enable him to pull it off so that racing in heavy rains won’t feel different. The film lingers uncomfortably long on one shot of a small centipede making its way across a road around the first laps while Formula One cars hurtle towards it in one of the early races. What a beautiful example of speed!
What fails even more is the other two of “Senna’s” love interests other than racing: women and Brazil. Senna advocated for the well-being of Brazilian people at all times, especially during this time when he was shown as a passionate advocate through Brazilian kids all over a television set or a few headlines of newspapers, but not much effort was made to get the political struggle back home. These international efforts at top level of addressing manual poverty tend to turn sensibly around for professional symbolism such as a mascot rather than an aid for a political struggle era at hand.
He may have taken a few children under his guidance through his means, but to him, these children meant political strategic importance and an aid for the child impoverishment in Brazil so he directed his attention towards them, however, they could have been slightly more attended to in the film. There’s no attempt to find more targeted volunteers that would have been suitable with more care & understanding with even bigger communication problems. But Then again, ‘Xuxa’ his Brazilian TV star girlfriend that he’s dating feels a little hollow, just like his wife. In the Episode where she meets Senna, she feels a little hollower, just like his ex-wife Lilian, who was like a test of loyalty times to the racing career.
Despite the fact that “Senna” only has six episodes each lasting an hour, the movie stretches a great deal during the gameplay. Senna’s obsession with winning has a negative impact on his personal life and only serves as a prime example of how cynical and monotonous human beings really are. The docufiction may serve great for watching during the holidays as a casual movie as it is perfect for passive watching while the fathers watch Formula One racing. But if you want a more realistic depiction that is raw and deeply attached to the man’s life then the 2010 documentary will be ideal.
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