Film Review: "Schumacher" (2021).

From Netflix comes Schumacher. This German sports documentary film co-directed by Hanns-Bruno Kammertöns, Vanessa Nöcker, and Michael Wech. Through exclusive interviews and archival footage, this documentary traces an intimate portrait of seven-time Formula 1 champion Michael Schumacher. The film was produced in cooperation with Schumacher's family using private family archives, Formula One archive footage, and interviews. The film features interviews with Schumacher's wife Corinna, his father Rolf, his brother Ralf, and his children Gina-Maria and Mick, his manager Willi Weber and interviews with prominent figures of Formula One including, Jean Todt, Bernie Ecclestone, Sebastian Vettel, Mika Häkkinen, Damon Hill, David Coulthard, and Flavio Briatore.

On January 3, 1969, the German former racing driver, Michael Schumacher, was born. He has competed in Formula One for Jordan, Benetton, Ferrari, and Mercedes. Schumacher has a joint-record seven World Drivers' Championship titles with Lewis Hamilton, and at the time of his retirement from the sport in 2012, he held the records for the most wins (ninety-one), pole positions (sixty-eight), and podium finishes (one-hundred-and-fifty-five); he maintains the records for the most fastest laps (seventy-seven) and the most races won in a single season (with Sebastian Vettel) (thirteen), amongst others. After beginning his racing career in karting, Schumacher enjoyed success in several junior single-seater series. After a one-off Formula One appearance with Jordan at the 1991 Belgian Grand Prix, Schumacher was signed by Benetton for the rest of the 1991 season. He won his first and second drivers' titles consecutively in 1994 and 1995, twice finishing ahead of runner-up Williams' Damon Hill. Schumacher moved to the struggling Ferrari team in 1996, with whom he won five consecutive titles from 2000 to 2004, including unprecedented sixth and seventh titles, breaking several records. After finishing third in 2005 and second in 2006, Schumacher retired from the sport, although he later made a brief return with Mercedes from 2010 to 2012. Schumacher was noted for pushing his car to the very limit for sustained periods during races, a pioneering fitness regimen and ability to galvanise teams around him. Over his career, Schumacher was involved in several controversial racing incidents. Twice, he was involved in collisions in the final race of a season that decided the title, first with Hill at the 1994 Australian Grand Prix and later with Jacques Villeneuve at the 1997 European Grand Prix. An ambassador for UNESCO, Schumacher has been involved in humanitarian projects and has donated tens of millions of dollars to charity. In December 2013, Schumacher suffered a severe brain injury in a skiing accident. He was placed in a medically induced coma until June 2014. He left hospital in Grenoble for further rehabilitation at the Lausanne University Hospital, before being relocated to his home to receive medical treatment and rehabilitation privately in September 2014.

The film is one of those documentaries that's clearly deeply meaningful to fans, but it also happens to be viscerally engaging for those with no prior interest in the subject. An engrossing, nerve-wracking and beautifully crafted examination of a sporting hero, the film is a must-see.

Simon says Schumacher receives: