The TT3D: Closer to the Edge audience looked slightly different to the typical, fashionable film review crowd. A group of ten guys slipped into the row in front of us, at least seven of whom were wearing motor-racing jackets…
As my wife and I settled into our seats for the beginning of TT3D: Closer to the Edge I caught a glimpse of the people around us.
The cinema was large and more tightly packed than usual for one of these media pre-screenings. I couldn’t help but notice that the audience looked slightly different to the typical, fashionable film review crowd.
A group of ten guys slipped into the row in front of us, at least seven of whom were wearing motor-racing jackets. You know the kind – adorned with colourful patches along the lines of Honda and Mobil and Monster Energy drink.
I began to worry about what exactly this film was I had agreed to review. Luckily, I was more than pleasantly surprised.
The Isle of Man’s annual Tourist Trophy is considered one of the most prestigious motorcycle races in the world. As it turns out, it’s also one of the most revered and dangerous. 232 people have lost their lives on its winding public roads since its inception in 1907.
Director Richard De Arageus weaves together beautiful moving 3D images, historical footage, horrific crashes and heartfelt conversations. The film follows a number of riders in preparation for the 2010 TT event. As a documentary, TT3D is brilliant, but that’s not what makes this film so special. You don’t even need to be a motorsports enthusiast to enjoy it.
Asides from the stunning 3D cinematography, the star of the show is undoubtedly Guy Martin, a 28-year old motor-mouth racer. Although Guy has never won a TT, he is one of the more colourful personalities of the event. In fact, Martin is such an incredibly outspoken character with a barely comprehensible accent that at times it can feel as if you’re watching a piece of fiction. Guy is the perfect subject for a documentary like this. Focused and determined yet childlike and comedic his attitude brings a sense of relief even to the films most terrible and suspenseful moments.
TT3D presents an interesting study into the lives of these brave (or foolish?) men (and occasionally women) who put their lives on the line at the beginning of every race. At its most real and poignant moment, the film spends some time with Bridget Dobbs, the widow of Paul, a 39-year old racer who lost his life while racing the year before. Bridget explains how much racing meant to her husband and alongside other candid conversations with riders, provides an emotional look into the psyches of TT racers and the effects on their friends, families and team-mates as they return, year after year in search of an elusive TT win.
TT3D is an excellent documentary with some stunning 3D imagery to match. If anything, it’s worth seeing for the beautiful footage of the Isle of Man.
However, if that’s not reason enough to see it, I’d go just for the interesting personalities you get to meet along the way. Its strength is that it doesn’t feel anything like a documentary. The characters and the tense racing moments are extraordinary and you’d be hard pressed not to feel a thrill as you watch the helmet-mounted footage of superbikes screaming around the Isle of Man at speed.
By C. Alex de Freitas 30 June 2011.
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