And We Go Green
Formula 1 racing is some of the most thrilling in sport. It’s been a while since I’ve watched any that wasn’t in a film like Ron Howard’s “Rush,” but there’s something about how challenging the tracks can be, and how dangerous the cars are in how exposed they leave the driver, that gives it a little bit extra juice over NASCAR. Directors Fisher Stevens and Malcolm Venville give us an up close and personal look at that world, and how one league is trying to make it environmentally safe, in “And We Go Green.” They capture that rush, and show us how the sport could be on the precipice of major game changes in the future.
Taking place during the 2017-2018 season, “And We Go Green” starts with a technical error. The lights to start the race are not working. It feels like a portent of things to come for the Formula E racing league, and it’s founder, Alejandro Agag, but the race gets going, and our journey into the world of Formula E begins. What separates Formula E from Formula 1? Every car is electric. As the film’s 99 minutes push through, we get an understanding of why Agag formed the league, how it progresses through a season, and a look at a handful of the drivers- Sam Bird, Lucas di Grassi, André Lotterer, Nelson Piquet Jr. and Jean-Éric Vergne- as they compete for the championship, the ebbs and flows in the season for each one, and go through the challenges of racing in this circuit vs. Formula 1, especially when it comes having a finite battery- the racers require two cars per race. Stevens and Venville approach “And We Go Green” in a typical sports documentary format, where the narrative comes from simply letting the story unfold. It’s an entertaining film not because of anything particular the filmmakers do, but because of the story they are telling, and the individuals telling the story. We are captivated by how the seasons, while also being impressed by the technology they are trying to use to make it work. There are a lot of wins along the way; the one that matters most might be the way the racers are doing their part for the environment.
