One Line Review: Schumacher is an enthralling story of the Formula One world that centers on the life of Michael Schumacher.
Youtube Trailer Schumacher
Starring: Schumacher himself
Director: Michael Wech
Release Date: 15 September 2021
Introduction
Anyone who is not a fan of Formula 1 will probably not be able to understand the fascination of motor racing. A few people get into cars, do a few laps and that should be kind of exciting – the one with the fastest car wins anyway. Michael Schumacher showed that this is not necessarily the case in 1994 when he won the title with significantly inferior technology on his world championship debut, making him the first German ever to win a world championship in Formula 1. In 2004 Schumacher became champion for the seventh time (a record that was only set by Lewis Hamilton in 2020was discontinued), including five consecutive World Cup victories (a record that still stands today). In 2002 he drove away from the competition so convincingly that after 11 of 17 races he had already won the competition – another achievement that has not been achieved to this day.
To list all the records here would take up too much space, and the Netflix documentary Schumacher doesn’t bother viewers either – that Michael Schumacher is a racing legend has long been clear to his supporters, this is not about glorification. Instead, it starts much earlier, shows the beginnings of karting, shows how Schumi competed for Luxembourg because he could not afford the entry fee for Germany. Shows how the will to perfection was noticeable early on, also shows the dangers of it. Shows how the promising rookie developed into perhaps the best Formula 1 driver in history.
Plot Summary
“Schumacher” traces the career of the racing driver Michael Schumacher and gives intimate insights into the life of the person Michael Schumacher without violating privacy. The running time of almost two hours seems a bit too short, but this, in combination with the use of previously unseen material, never gives the impression of being served something chewed through.
Unpublished archive recordings
Negative things are often skipped, for example, the incident known as the Rascassegate in 2006 – it is important to underline that this most likely does not happen to make Schumacher look better. As the records, all of this has long been known among fans, was sufficiently taken apart by the trade press at the time, and only worked on last year in the documentary series The Race to Perfection. Schumacher remains focused, does not dwell on praise or criticism, just wants to introduce racing drivers and people. In addition to verbal contributions from companions and former rivals, the documentation scores above all with archive recordings, a good part of which was previously unpublished.
Climax; the most thrilling part
Schumacher saved the strongest part for the final. In the last ten minutes, Schumi’s family members are brought in front of the camera. Not only Ms. Corinna Schumacher, who has commented again and again in the course of the documentary, now expresses herself on the subject, which has probably been of interest to most fans for a good eight years. In 2013 Michael Schumacher suffered a head injury in a skiing accident and as a result, is still in a coma or is in private rehabilitation. As much is known about the current state of health as it was then, namely nothing – the family is not only very low-key but also together. As for the interviews with Corinna, daughter Gina and son Mick (himself a Formula 1 driver since this year) make it very clear that Michael Schumacher had a happy life with a warm-hearted family, which is why it is no wonder that in the end, he preferred them to his career and his love of racing.
Schumacher is the winner in the end
Schumacher is a compelling story of the Formula One world told in a documentary that almost feels like a biopic. It is likely that you have already seen the film if you are a racing fan, and if you are not, you will be after you see it. The man was a legend, and he will continue to be so even after the tragic end of his professional life. There are two different versions of himself presented in the film, one on the race track and the other on who he was outside of the world, and it is interesting to see how the two versions are juxtaposed.
