Davide Nativo
Premium
“The question is not what you look at, but what you see.” (H.D. Thoreau)
I was really struck by this short movie when I first saw it. I did not know what to expect, I was not sure it was actually going to deliver, but now that I did see it I am glad I happened to find it. The plot might not be the most original, I know. It is the story of a Group B rally driver finding himself badly injured but alive, again at the wheel of one of those killer beasts after the tragic death of his best friend and co-driver in an accident during a race. If I had to make comparisons, it could sound very similar to another action packed story based in the 80es, which is that of the very famous “Top Gun” movie.
However, doing that would not do justice to it, it would be unfair and an oversimplification of it. This one, in fact, is almost exclusively narrating the struggle to find peace of the protagonist, named Shane, while attending the very first race without his mate. It is a human story, in which I think that many can relate and understand what is going through the head of the main character. To cope with such a dramatic loss, to find purpose in keep doing what you’re doing, even if it is something you loved to do, to find answer to life’s meaning. To understand what friendship means, how those around you are indeed affected by your pain, but it is only you the one that has to bear the torment, to fight with it and in the end to be left with a choice. Keep going, keep living, and keep honouring by doing so those who lost that gift, or become lost. Become a new person, even though it is distant miles from the one you actually dreamt to be, but it is the one you need to are, or be wandering in your own self-constructed mind narrative you keep repeating to yourself.
I know that to find oneself at such a crossroad means to have gone through some terrible ordeal, or being just in the middle of it. Not everyone did, but almost anyone will find himself at that ‘stage’. The director managed, in my opinion, to frame that moment perfectly in the eyes of the protagonist. Shane is teared, his arm’s muscle being just an embodiment of such state. He can barely move himself past a certain point, just like his arm does, and hardly can carry the weight of the burden he has to lift. Yet he is at that crossroad, he needs to understand what it is going to be. The moment is coming, while he nervously waits in line to be tested. Life is counting the time left; but then again, maybe life is also giving him the tools required to understand what his call will mean. While others leave and go, maybe never to return, you have to remember that in that clenched cockpit, in your life, you are not alone. You never truly are. Just manage to look past where pain forces you to and there will be the sign that is meant to be there for you.
In conclusion, while I know that this is probably not be the best re-enactment possible of the Group B Era (and there are some mistakes here and there), I applaud the film direction for the powerful message behind what it might otherwise look like a very simple story. Photography and sound seemed very well done, even though I admit I am but a simple amateur commenter on those aspects, and complimented the scenes as they were supposed to. Overall, a very good short movie, which I wholeheartedly recommend to watch when you have half an hour free to focus on it. It was not easy to come by as of late, but a simple internet search should provide you with the means to enjoy this great work. Make sure to leave you appreciation on the official Facebook page if you do, which can be visited HERE.
Do you share our opinion? What are your impressions about the movie?
Let us know in the comments below!
Like what we do here at RaceDepartment? Follow us on Social Media!
Last edited:
