CURITIBA, PARANÁ: The movie starring Brad Pitt as a sort of Fernando Alonso finally dropped on the bitten-apple platform. I wasted no time: prepared my pillow, balanced my laptop on my stomach, and hit play.
Before anything else, I’d like to highlight the quality of the productions being released by Apple TV+ They are extremely high-quality productions, and because of that, it’s the only streaming service I subscribe to for new titles rather than old catalog content.
As for Formula One, I only started following it more closely recently because of the Netflix series Formula 1: Drive to Survive.
Since it’s a competition involving far more politics than the driver’s actual skill behind the wheel, it’s much more interesting to watch the yearly recap than to sit through the boring Sunday races.
Both the series and this new Apple TV+ original film were only possible because of a shift in attitude from Liberty Media, the holding company behind the F1 brand. Since being acquired by the media company, Formula 1 started to see itself as a content and entertainment brand, much like the NBA.
A mindset that, deep down, I truly believe is the salvation of Brazilian sports — but I’ll discuss that in another post.
Review (Warning: I Have No Shame About Spoilers)
The film opens with the image of a camera mounted on a yellow Formula 1 car speeding down the racetrack. The end of this short sequence is tragic: the car crashes on a corner, and our protagonist wakes up.
The narrative follows the classic Hero’s Journey structure — a fallen hero receives a call from a Wise Man to save humanity. The Wise Man is a team owner who arrives in a Porsche after a 24 Hours of Daytona race saved by our Hero. The humanity our hero must save is the Wise Man’s racing team. The team has never won a race since entering the category, and if they fail to win at least one before the end of the season, the Wise Man will have to sell the team and declare bankruptcy.
And here comes a very relevant characteristic of modern Formula 1, heavily present throughout the film: advertising.
Up until this heroic call — roughly ten minutes into the movie — the audience has already seen Porsche, Rolex, and Gucci on screen. Throughout the film, we are bombarded by Mercedes-Benz and rare appearances by Lewis Hamilton, the “villain” to be defeated.
Lewis Hamilton also serves as a producer on the film.
Reluctantly, our hero accepts the call, and the story unfolds according to Joseph Campbell’s recipe book.
Entertainment with a Strong Message
Formula 1 contains everything Hollywood has always delivered masterfully. A solid screenplay that keeps you engaged from beginning to end. Stunning cinematography with precise editing and excellent performances.
Because of that, the film isn’t just for motorsport fans, but for anyone looking for a good movie to spend a Sunday afternoon watching. The classic crowd-pleasing blockbuster.
However, it also carries a beautiful message — at least I consider it beautiful. A message that can be summarized by a phrase spoken by Clóvis de Barros Filho that went viral on the internet:
“Take as long as necessary to decide what you want from life, and once you decide, never retreat for any reason.”
— Professor Clóvis de Barros Filho
