Senna 12A 2011. 106 minutes

Good docu-movies are like London buses. You wait for a long while and then two come along at the same time. First to arrive was the exceptional West Indian cricketing drama, Fire in Babylon, and now hot on its heels is “Senna”, a tribute to, and explanation of the Brazilian Formula One racing driver's exceptional ability, intriguing character and ultimately tragically short life.

Neither the most successful driver of his generation (his great rival, Alain Prost, won four championships) nor in the history of the sport (Michael Schumacher with 7), it is perhaps difficult to understand why the three-times world champion is held, even today, in an esteem bordering on devotion by both fans and drivers alike. His ability was undoubted - his completion of the 1991 Brazilian Grand Prix with only one gear (6th) at his disposal unparalleled to this day - and his courage second to none - his performance in torrential rain at Monaco in 1991 quite superb. But the continuing reverence in which he is still held in this age of superstardom would suggest something more profound.

The man himself was a contradiction in terms. Devoted to his family, he was a devout Catholic who believed that he was constantly in God's hands –“God gave me the race" he said of his 1991 victory. Equally committed philanthropically, he gave much of his wealth to disadvantaged Brazilian children whose desperate plight often moved him to tears. But on the racetrack he was ruthless, in constant conflict with teammates and rivals alike. “He wants to humiliate the other drivers”, Prost said of him bitterly. But Senna remained deeply loved up until and even beyond his untimely death during the San Marino Grand Prix in 1994, steering column failure later identified as the accident’s cause. The Brazilian government declared three days of mourning with an estimated 3 million people lining the streets of his hometown, Sao Paolo to pay their respects.

Director Asif Kapadia and writer Manish Pardey beautifully weave together literally hundreds of hours of newsreel and to date unseen F1 footage together with material from the Senna family's archive. Their decision to include new voice-over contributions from journalists and racing professionals alike was inspired and makes for an exceptionally intriguing backdrop even for those of you, like me, new to F1. But Senna remains the star, his short life a fury of emotion, his devotion to his sport, as powerful as to his god, the intensity of the movie enhanced by the knowledge of his inevitable fate.

A powerful and compelling analysis if slightly too long. 7/10. DM

June 2011