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Fascinated by cars since childhood, Brazilian driver Ayrton Senna became a sporting legend until tragedy struck and changed Formula 1 forever.
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In Brazil, Ayrton Senna is not only the glory of Formula 1, thirty years after his death, the latter is still a real icon, whose exploits are known to everyone. In a country where soccer is the most popular sport, Senna has made a name for himself among the greatest legends.
Therefore, giving his qualities to the three-time F1 world champion was not easy. The choice of production fell on Gabriel Leone with the agreement of the Sena family. The main actor in the series DOM (available on Prime Video), the latter also played the Spanish driver Alfonso de Portago in the feature film biopic Ferrari, directed by Michael Mann.
The 31-year-old actor gives a convincing performance, but is still intimidated by the myth of Ayrton Senna. However, the physical resemblance between the two men is striking and lends credibility to Gabriel Leone’s interpretation.
However, the physical resemblance is much less obvious between Franco-American actor Matt Mela and Alain Prost, who he plays in the series. The four-time world champion serves as the program’s antagonist during several episodes devoted to his rivalry with Ayrton Senna.
Journalist Laura is a fictional character, invented for the needs of the series. Like the character, her translator Kaya Scodelario (Gentlemen) is British but of Brazilian descent; So he is fluent in English and Portuguese.
Is it worth seeing?
May 1 marked the thirtieth anniversary of the cursed day Ayrton Senna died. The three-time world champion, the Brazilian driver died in a terrible accident during the San Marino Grand Prix. His many exploits are still among the greatest moments in Formula 1 history.
The subject of many documentaries, Ayrton Senna’s life has never been adapted for film or television. The Netflix series thus marks the first fictional biopic devoted to the life and career of the Brazilian pilot. This project succeeded only with the permission of the family, especially Vivian Sena, who manages the image and property of his brother.
A tribute that does not want to tarnish the image of the champion
The Cena mini-series was primarily created as a tribute to the pilot. This biopic does not go beyond the genre codes and follows the main stages of the latter’s career chronologically: his beginnings in karting, his start in Formula 1 and his first victories, his first world championship title in 1988 and of course his rivalry with Alain Prost.
Like Asif Kapadia’s documentary (released in 2011), Senna pits the Brazilian driver against the French champion, one described as the good guy in the story and the other as the bad guy.
If there is no doubt that the rivalry between them sometimes pushed Alain Proust to push certain limits of behavior, this Manichean and simplistic portrait of their story chooses to turn its back on the truth.
The Netflix miniseries portrays Cena as both a genius pilot (which he was) and an obsessive perfectionist (which he also was). These six episodes only show the latter in his favor, as if the mere fact of awakening his dark side could call his legend into question.
Spectacular racing scenes, but…
Determined to portray him in the best possible light, the series even suggests that Cena could only lose by cheating. None of his opponents, whether on the karting circuit or in F1, seem to be able to beat him fairly.
The series benefited from a large budget, and this is particularly evident in the rather well-executed racing scenes. At the same time, Cena gets the look of a fairly slick production, with a certain number of mistakes in bad taste – as well as his very kitschy credits worthy of afternoon soap operas.
Several times we feel the desire of the directors Vicente Amorim and Julia Rezende to thoroughly evoke the political and social history of Brazil. Close-ups of newspaper clippings or television news are about the events that shook the country in the 1980s.
Six episodes that don’t teach us much
In the light of these historical events, a challenge may have been a good idea, provided it was subtle. But the treatment of this subplot took the effect away from the main plot. In their desire to give context to a story, directors sometimes completely miss their subject!
We don’t necessarily have a hard time watching this anecdotal series, but six episodes still seems pretty long. This biopic doesn’t tell us anything new about the Brazilian pilot, and watching Asif Kapadia’s excellent documentary works much better than the TV series at just 106 minutes (the length of an episode and a half).
This program should be seen as a distant prequel to the documentary series Formula 1: The Drivers of Their Destiny, also by Netflix. There’s no doubt that viewers who grew up watching Ayrton Senna’s exploits on TV will surely enjoy re-watching the greatest moments of his career.
Six episodes of the Senna mini-series are now available exclusively on Netflix.
Discover the list of series currently available on the platform!
Source: Allocine
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.
