Review: ‘Ferrari’: A Cinematic Symphony of Speed, Sorrow, and Spectacle

2023 has been a return to the big screen for many old masters. The latest of these is Ferrari, the latest feature film from one of the most important directors of the last 40 years, Michael Mann. Ferrari documents a snippet of the life of Enzo Ferrari (Adam Driver) after the death of his son Dino. The Ferrari company has been struggling due to lackluster racing and needing to sell more sportscars to finance the expensive racecars they need to produce. This, paired with turmoil throughout Enzo’s personal life as he juggles running Ferrari with his wife Laura Ferrari (Penélope Cruz) and being there for his other son Piero (Giuseppe Festinese) whom he had with Lina Lardi (Shailene Woodley). Most of the film takes place in 1957 which is a wonderful choice from Mann. In many biopics taking on an entire life and fitting it into 2 or 3 hours is a tall task and rarely does the film or the subject justice. 

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Review: The Poignant and Bittersweet Self-Reflection of Almodóvar’s ‘Pain and Glory’

Legendary Spanish auteur Pedro Almodóvar’s latest film — Dolor y Gloria — opens with the camera slowly encroaching upon a man floating at the bottom of a pool, motionless, seemingly relishing in the release of all physical tension for the few moments that his breathlessness will allow. The film then cuts to a group of women and a young boy on the side of a river, the women washing clothes by hand and singing harmoniously as the wind blows through the reeds and the sun shines warmly. Thus begins Almodóvar’s most personal story of his career, a very rich and moving narrative that interweaves history, memory, creativity, and desire into a deep reflection upon the man’s seven decades of life and four decades in film.

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