Williams (2017)

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  TheMovieDiorama

  8 / 10

  Williams uses Formula 1 to convey an aspiring family story. As an avid fan of the sport and typically enthralled by documentaries, this review might have some slight bias. I must profess that you do not have to be a petrol-head to enjoy this, it is incredibly accessible to everyone. Having said that...wow! This actually might just be the first time I teared up to a documentary. Chronicling the life of Sir Frank Williams, founder of the Williams construction team for Formula 1, journeying through both the sport and his family affairs. Initially, I underestimated what I was in store for. A typical sporting documentary this is not. Matthews carefully portrayed Williams' personal backstory and intertwined it with his addiction and aspiration to the motor world in what is a perfect equilibrium. The two sides bounce off of each other where any incidents or scenarios in either life affect the other, as if Williams' story is its own ecological structure. Mesmerisingly breathtaking and incredibly moving, honestly. One man's ambition has lead him to create one of the sport's best engineering teams, and this film illustrates just how much of an impact he has made. "The accident" that occurred is intricately embedded to showcase his unstoppable personality. It didn't deter him away, he came back more focussed than ever and I really admire the way this film captures that. It's never melodramatic, it's an honest frank (pardon the pun...) look into a broken family. It doesn't stop there, it dabbles into the lack of female empowerment within the sport and how his daughter is a leading figure, not just in the team, but the entirety of F1 racing. There is a touching moment towards the end where his daughter reads a book to him about her mother, and for a moment I was stunned. The ferocious amount of emotion that was conveyed overwhelmed me. The tangible heartache for this family is astronomical. I would've like to have seen more of the racing and it could've been cut shorter for a much tighter narrative. However, the pace speeds along to an emotionally complex finish line with grace.

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