Michael Mann’s Ferrari Is “Not A Racing Movie,” Director Spells Out True Focus

Ferrari director claims that his upcoming biopic is “not a racing movie.” Ferrari is directed by Michael Mann and stars Adam Driver as the eponymous car entrepreneur. In addition to Driver, Ferrari features a supporting cast of Shailene Woodley, Penelope Cruz, and Sarah Gadon.

Despite the focus on Enzo Ferrari’s car empire, Mann attests that the upcoming Ferrari is “not a racing movie.” Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, Mann clarified that “this is really a movie behind racing, behind Ferrari.” Ferrari’s dramatic emphasis, Mann says, comes from Ferrari and his wife’s “grief over the death of their son” as well as marital and financial issues. Check out the full quote from Mann below:

​​“This is not a racing movie. This is really a movie behind racing, behind Ferrari. Three very torrid months in the life of Ferrari, his wife, Laura [played by Cruz], both in grief over the death of their son, Dino, a year earlier. Then also, a second family that he has that she doesn’t know about, with Lina Lardi [Woodley] and a 12-year-old boy Piero, who is now Piero Ferrari. And all of which comes to the surface at a moment in time in which the company is going bankrupt.”

Based On The Trailer, Does Ferrari Look Like A Racing Movie?

Mann’s statement provides a somewhat unexpected additional layer to Ferrari that cannot be glimpsed in the trailer alone. Given that racing cars was the cornerstone of the real-life Ferrari’s legacy, one would think that his biopic would follow suit by being a “racing movie.” Instead, Mann promises a film with far more emotional depth as Ferrari’s personal grief supersedes the importance of the cars.

Ferrari’s trailer, however, complicates Mann’s claims about the film’s focus. Opening with a first-person POV shot of a car racing down a tree-lined road, sounds of engines revving permeate through the Ferrari trailer. While the trailer also includes snippets of Cruz and Driver eating dinner, or bonding with who can be assumed to be their late son, the persistence of cars suggests that racing is indeed the focus of Ferrari.

However, Ferrari’s first trailer was a mere teaser, giving but a glimpse of the two-hour biopic to come. Artfully wordless–until its final line “you get into one of my cars, you get in to win”–it’s possible that Mann and his editing team used the Ferrari teaser as an opportunity to set the scene for the film’s enticing racing backdrop, rather than accurately reflect the film’s focus. As Ferrari’s end-of-year release approaches, it will be interesting to see how future trailers and press may support Mann’s most recent explanation of Ferrari’s themes.