Ferarri (2023)

I am not a car fan or a race car fan, so that is not a necessary ingredient to watching or enjoying this film. The year is 1957 and Enzo Ferrari is approaching 60 and struggling to maintain his grip on the industry he revolutionized. He is a flawed man who lived to win the race of life. Whether it was the speed record he held onto so tightly that it put others in jeopardy or the vehicle specs that he was constantly updating for an extra half-second advantage on the competition, the image created here is that of a human being who is never satisfied, and deeply aware that he's a split second from disaster. He is trying to hold on to his company, and he is also trying to hold onto affection for the two women in his life: His wife Laura (Penelope Cruz) and his mistress Lina, with whom he has a child. He recently lost the son he had with Laura, leading to a blanket of grief that hangs over the entire film--he is ice cold and Laura is fire. The film opens with an effort to break a speed record, something that Ferrari knows could be devastating for a company that’s already battling bankruptcy. The company Ferrari at this point is too focused on sports cars and not the production of vehicles that can be sold to keep it in business. It’s a film about an older man considering his own legacy, and where that leads him.