Review: Senna

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Senna

Editor's Note: Apparently Violet Crown Cinema has pushed back the release date of Senna to Friday, August 26. Enjoy the review anyway as a sneak peek of what's ahead!

Please welcome our newest contributor, J.C. De Leon.

If you know me, you know that I love sports. Because of that, I also naturally love sports documentaries. They are the only types of documentaries that (most of the time) aren't pushing an agenda onto you. These documentaries are stories that come from real life, and sports can tell stories in a cinematic way like no other aspect of life can. This is the reason that I'm surprised more movie lovers aren't also sports fans. True, we all need a break from having to watch so many movies, but sports can be an escape that provides cinematic-like tension. That's why we love them, whether we realize it or not.

A great thing about sports documentaries is their ability to take a sport you might not necessarily have any interest in, and tell an amazing story that makes you really care about its subject. Case in point with Senna, directed by Asif Kapadia and a product of ESPN's 30 for 30 series, this documentary tells the legendary tale of a humble Formula One racing icon from Brazil, Ayrton Senna.

Ayrton came from a family of slightly above-average means, and it was through go-kart racing that his dream of becoming a Formula One World Champion was born. He loved racing -- especially go-karts at a young age -- because "There was no politics, and there was no money. It was just racing." Fearless on the track, guided by his unrelenting faith in God, he immediately took the world by storm, and he did it with a refreshing humility that you almost never see anymore amongst professional athletes.

As with any success story, Senna develops enemies along the way, and becomes a sort of anti-hero who has to not only deal with his competitors on the racetrack, but the bureaucratic bigwigs in charge of Formula One who seem out to get him. He wasn't someone who had a political agenda, but once he saw the benefits of his good fortune, he decided to do good with it and help the children of Brazil.

Senna is comprised entirely of pre-shot footage, and features very in-depth interviews with Ayrton Senna, his rival and once teammate Alain Prost, his sister and many others. It also features a good amount of footage from cameras installed inside the cars that really indicate how difficult (and insane) it is to drive these cars. At its root, though, Senna tells a complete tale, start to finish of his entire career, including the resolution of his rivalry with Alain Prost that's done almost silently, yet speaks volumes about their mutual admiration when it's shown on screen. Senna died at the age of 34 in 1994 doing what he loved, and although the circumstances of his death on the racetrack are mysterious, they did spawn new standards of safety and his sacrifice has made it so that there hasn't been a Formula One fatality since.

Very few people in the U.S. might be familiar with Ayrton Senna's story and it is for that reason this documentary should be seen. Sports are a microcosm of life, and in a life-imitating-art-imitating-life kind of way, they tell the greatest stories, have the most amount of heart, and make for some of the best documentaries. ESPN Films has another definite classic to add to their list of great documentaries. Senna may not spark any future interest in watching Formula One racing, but you'll be sorry you didn't know more about this legendary icon during his prime.