Williams

I went into this expecting to learn more about the team 'Williams', but I found myself learning more about Frank, the man, and the family, than anything else, but don't misinterpret that as a bad thing.

I'm an avid F1 fan, I have been since the days of Michael Schumacher in a Benetton, but being of a relatively young age I didn't know an awful lot about the Williams team other than whom ran the time, who drove for them and that they were British.

The documentary touches on many insights into how the team came to form, struggles within the family and I think most importantly, the relationship between Frank and Ginny. It does a fantastic job of showing you enough of both sides to walk away from it with a much better knowledge of what it was like for everyone involved and it doesn't pretend to pull any punches.

There's comedic moments where Frank will recount something in such a blunt and unforgiving manner that you can't help but laugh but then there's moments where you feel great sadness for them.

It's beautifully shot and the score is excellent, I'd HIGHLY recommend this to motor sports fans, but I'd also recommend it to those who aren't, because it's a poignant reminder of struggle no matter who you are or where you're from.

9/10

You don't need to be a fan of Formula One to enjoy this documentary. I don't watch F1, and only have a mild interest in car racing. This documentary is about so much more than that, and as a result, should appeal to a wide audience.

There are a lot of inspiring people here. Grit, determination, adversity, motivation, passion would all be key words and themes. You can't help but admire those who wholeheartedly dive into their life passions and overcome hardship or adversity in their pursuits.

This was way more emotional than I expected from a documentary I thought would just be about a racing team. It has a lot of heart. It's never boring for a second. Highly recommend!

Definitely one of the best documentaries I've seen in a while. As a big fan of Formula 1 i couldn't wait to see this one since I realised that I actually don't know much about Frank Williams' life. And what a life this man had. From being obsessed with racing as a young man he did everything in his power to get to the top and it wasn't an easy way. He overcame many struggles which is truly inspirational.

This film goes quite deep to show us the relationships between the Williams family members. It carries quite an emotional punch but without ever being overly sentimental.

If you are a true Formula 1 fan you will definitely enjoy this and if you are not you will enjoy it as well since the story of Frank Williams can inspire people from all walks of life.

As an avid fan of the sport and typically enthralled by documentaries, this review might have some slight bias. I must profess that you do not have to be a petrol-head to enjoy this, it is incredibly accessible to everyone. Having said that...wow! This actually might just be the first time I teared up to a documentary. Chronicling the life of Sir Frank Williams, founder of the Williams construction team for Formula 1, journeying through both the sport and his family affairs. Initially, I underestimated what I was in store for. A typical sporting documentary this is not. Matthews carefully portrayed Williams' personal backstory and intertwined it with his addiction and aspiration to the motor world in what is a perfect equilibrium. The two sides bounce off of each other where any incidents or scenarios in either life affect the other, as if Williams' story is its own ecological structure. Mesmerisingly breathtaking and incredibly moving, honestly. One man's ambition has lead him to create one of the sport's best engineering teams, and this film illustrates just how much of an impact he has made. "The accident" that occurred is intricately embedded to showcase his unstoppable personality. It didn't deter him away, he came back more focussed than ever and I really admire the way this film captures that. It's never melodramatic, it's an honest frank (pardon the pun...) look into a broken family. It doesn't stop there, it dabbles into the lack of female empowerment within the sport and how his daughter is a leading figure, not just in the team, but the entirety of F1 racing. There is a touching moment towards the end where his daughter reads a book to him about her mother, and for a moment I was stunned. The ferocious amount of emotion that was conveyed overwhelmed me. The tangible heartache for this family is astronomical. I would've like to have seen more of the racing and it could've been cut shorter for a much tighter narrative. However, the pace speeds along to an emotionally complex finish line with grace.

Having watched several documentaries over the years on legends of motor sport. Graham Hill Jackie Stewart Jim Clarke and now Sir Frank Williams. They all strike me as extremely driven determined and selfish individuals who put there need to increase the speed of their cars above all else and in Frank Williams most of all his family. They always came second to his F1 team. Despite having a remarkable wife who stuck by him despite numerous affairs and a near fatal accident that left him severely paralyzed and confined to a wheelchair. In this insightful documentary we learn much about this remarkable man who took a struggling team on the point of bankruptcy to a multi million pound business winning several world titles along the way. We also learn much about his daughter Claire who herself has had difficult family decisions to make in her quest to become the most powerful woman in the male dominated world of Formula one. 9/10