Driven and determined, Michael Schumacher is a seven-time Formula 1 world champion. But a severe brain injury in a near fatal skiing accident in 2013 has left him away from the sport he loved and out of the public eye. Directed by Hanns-Bruno Kammertöns, Vanessa Nöcker and Michael Wech, Schumacher, through archival footage and interviews with family members, colleagues and adversaries provides an intimate insight into the man.
From an ordinary German working-class background, so much against the grain of a privileged sport, Schumacher’s love of cars and speed developed through the family go-karting business. Single-minded, he rose to be world number one, idolised the world over. But Schumacher is not the incisive documentary it should be.
Interviews past and present show him to be a loving, caring family man supporting charitable causes and uncomfortable with fame. But there’s a lack of any real analysis of Schumacher the driver beyond the news reports and archive footage. His focus and determination put others at risk. Little of significance is raised as Schumacher sits in neutral, valuing the cooperation of the family above any controversies. But what makes this particular documentary moving is the sense of absence – the lack of the man himself. Little has been seen or heard of Michael Schumacher since the accident.
Michael is here. Different but here says Corinna, his wife of 25 plus years. And that’s all we get in terms of an update of a sporting legend.
Rating: 60%
Director: Hanns-Bruno Kammertöns (Der Mann, der Udo Jürgens ist, Boris Becker: Der Spieler), Vanessa Nöcker (TV’s Länder – Menschen – Abenteuer, Deutschland, deine Künstler), Michael Wech (Der Mann, der Udo Jürgens ist, Boris Becker: Der Spieler)
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