Friday 12 August 2011 8:35AM (view full episode)

Like all champion drivers, the late Formula 1 ace Ayrton Senna built his success on a willingness to gamble by making calculated, split-second decisions others were unwilling or unable to make. Some, like his long-time rival Alain Prost, attributed his genius, which bordered on a recklessness behind the wheel, to the Brazilian champion's belief in God. It's one of many insights that British filmmaker Asif Kapadia gathers in this film, made from archival material combined with the sound, but not the vision, of more recent interviews. Mostly, however, it's not what's said but what's shown that makes this such a powerful experience. Trawling through hours of footage from sources as varied as YouTube and 35mm, Kapadia has made a visceral, emotional film with moments of poetry. The sensuality of extended tracts of driver-cam vision -- played long to fully exploit the kinetic force of the POV shot as we race along the track -- is a recurring motif.

Then there are more subtle moments, but equally powerful, like Senna's reaction when news of a fatal accident trickles back to the dressing room. Perhaps most illuminating is the exploration of the rivalry with Prost. The Frenchman appears as the Machiavellian, media savvy opposite to Senna, who emerges here as a purist who loved racing but hated the politics of Formula 1. It's this almost naive, blinkered passion, coupled with the chiselled good looks and a stoicism, that makes Senna an enigmatic figure. To find a way beneath the surface of such a character, a film needs faith in images, not just words. Kapadia knows the power of a gesture, a quivering lip, a glance, which makes this not just an accomplished portrait, but a cinematic one.


Jason Di Rosso