Vicente Amorim, director of the new Netflix series, spoke to BBC News Brasil about Ayrton Senna.
Brazilian audiences born in the last 30 years will probably find something strange in the new series Seineof Netflix, which tells the story of the Brazilian Formula 1 driver, according to the director of the series, which will debut on the platform on November 29th.
“Something that makes this series so important is that it shows that there is the possibility that there is a figure who unites Brazil beyond political and institutional polarization and who is a transversal figure for Brazilians of different social classes, socioeconomic origins and political opinions “said Vicente Amorim, director of the series, in an interview with BBC News Brasil.
“Senna could be that and I don’t see anyone today who has the position that Senna had 30 years ago.”
The six-episode miniseries tells the behind-the-scenes story of the life of Ayrton Senna, a three-time Formula 1 world champion driver (in 1988, 1990 and 1991) who tragically died in 1994 in an accident on the Imola circuit in Italy.
Senna’s numbers have already been surpassed by several drivers. The Englishman Lewis Hamilton and the German Michael Schumacher, for example, have already surpassed Senna in titles, victories and pole positions.
But the driver continues to fascinate generations who have never seen him race. Senna is cited as an inspiration and idol for drivers of several generations. like Lewis Hamilton, Charles Leclerc and Kimi Antonelli (who will debut in F1 next year). Surveys by specialized magazines such as Autosport continue to place Senna at the top of the ranking of the greatest drivers in the category.
Far beyond a simple racing driver, Senna was also an idol off the track – with his high-profile life and his association with celebrities – especially in Brazil, where he received a burial with the honors of the head of state and a procession of thousands of people. people of Sao Paulo.
Amorim says one of the reasons Senna attracts different audiences and generations – Brazilians and foreigners, young and old, or people with different views and ideologies – is his obstinacy with his ideas and principles.
“I think Senna has become the symbol of who you can be if you believe in your potential, if you are not afraid to fight the system, if you are true to your principles,” says the director.
Furthermore, Senna had a charisma and humility that brought him closer to the public.
“What made Senna different from many other drivers – it made him the hero he was – is that he was a guy that ordinary people could identify with. Which is not something that always happens with sporting idols.”, says Amorim.
“Most of the time they seem like almost unattainable idols. Senna was a guy you looked at and said, ‘I can be like that guy.’ And that’s what I think serves as an inspiration to anyone’s life even today.”
Other works have already told the story of Ayrton Senna, including books and documentaries. One of these was the award-winning 2010 documentary Senna, directed by Briton Asif Kapadia, who has also directed biographical documentaries on Amy Winehouse and Diego Maradona.
Amorim says these more journalistic works are important to objectively record the facts. But they are also limited to a certain extent, as they do not reveal much depth about the motivations – what he calls Senna’s “path of the heart”.
“People know data and facts about Ayrton Senna’s life, but the only way to truly know a character and find his essence, in my opinion, is through fiction,” says the director.
The series shows episodes from Senna’s personal life: his relationship with Xuxa and Adriane Galisteu, confessions to his friend Galvão Bueno, and fights and disputes with rivals such as Alain Prost.
“Fiction allows you, through the dramatic construction of subjectivity, to show the story in a way that makes it flow.”
One of the gimmicks was the creation of a fictional character – journalist Laura Harrison (played by actress Kaya Scodelario) – who serves as a witness to the pilot’s story.
“She is an amalgam of characters who existed, who gravitated around Senna, who also lived after him. She has a very important role because it is through her eyes that we see Senna’s evolution. Their relationship reflects a lot what he had with the press, of collaboration, of conflict and also of friendship, but always looking at each other in a sometimes suspicious, sometimes affectionate way.”
Overproduction
To represent Senna’s “path of the heart”, Netflix and the director invested heavily in one of the largest productions of its kind in Brazil.
“I have the feeling that I have been preparing all my life to make this series,” says the director.
Seine It was planned for more than a decade by production company Gullane and shot over six months in Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, the United Kingdom and Monaco.
The production involved a team of more than 3,000 people from eight countries and a cast of 231 actors and actresses from nine countries, as well as more than 14,000 extras.
The production challenge was twofold: faithfully reproducing the 80s but also the races famous among Formula 1 fans.
There are extensive scenes at famous circuits, such as Monaco, with iconic cars, such as Lotus, McLaren and Williams of the era. To use them in the filming of the series, 22 cars of the era were rebuilt and another 80 were digitally recreated, based on original models.
“Formula 1 fans will watch the series and find everything exactly as it was,” says Amorim. He says recreating the races is a bigger technical challenge than making a science fiction film, where everything is made up.
He says the production spent more than three years working on these technical aspects alone.
“This was one of our biggest concerns. I’m a Formula 1 fan and I’m an Ayrton Senna fan. There was no way we would leave anything technical, artistic or period aspect untouched.”
Source: Terra
Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.
