Senna

On 01 May 1994, racing lost one of its greatest drivers. At the race in Imola Ayrton Senna crashed fatally at the age of 34 after a career of almost ten years. But until today Senna is unforgotten and only a few years ago he was elected twice by a jury of experts as the fastest driver of all times. Filmmaker Asif Kapadia now traces the unique career of Ayrton Senna in the impressive documentary Senna, with the great competition with his former teammate and later archrival Alain Prost taking an important part.

Kapadia relies only on old video footage, from private videos to TV recordings, footage directly from Senna's cockpit and rare footage that brings the viewer closer to the events behind the scenes of the racing circus. While there are also actual interviews with colleagues, friends and family members, these are merely superimposed over the footage as off-screen commentary. Senna's ambition, his opposition to the commercialization of racing, his hopes, his fears, the film brings all of this to the viewer in an extremely engaging way.

Even if you don't have much interest in Formula One, Senna is an exciting and involving film experience. Kapadia has succeeded in creating a great portrait of a man who won the hearts of fans not only with his great, sometimes very aggressive driving style, but also with his charm and authenticity. Particularly beautiful are the moments when Senna wraps female presenters around her finger on talk shows. It's the mix of such more light-hearted moments, the spectacular images from Senna's cockpit camera, and the ever-escalating clashes between Senna and Prost that make this film so appealing.

Whether as a tribute to a great athlete, a revealing behind-the-scenes look at the Formula One circus, or a deeply human drama, Senna crosses the finish line a clear winner in every aspect. A gripping proof that documentaries also deserve to be seen on the big screen and simply a great film in terms of craftsmanship. Absolutely recommendable, no matter if you love Formula 1 or not!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp