By R. Yedunandanudu (a.k.a. Yadhu – X)
In a video titled “Why Do We Watch Movies?”, the narrator poses a question: “Why do we still watch movies when the avenues of entertainment have become more diverse than ever?” Maybe, by the end of this piece, I’ll have my answer.
At the outset, this isn’t an analysis or a review of the film F1. Rather than how the film was made, this is about how it made me feel. Any good sports film is not really about the sport alone. It deals with deeper issues such as showing up, redemption, and the fierce power of self-belief, especially when you’re surrounded by doubters and difficult circumstances.
It’s a similar theme that the movie Jersey also explored — the pressing dilemma men often go through, but rarely talk about. It’s not about losing hair or graying mustaches, but about the creeping questions:
Do I still know what I want from life? Where to go? Where do I belong?
In our society, “relevance” has an expiry date. Here, Sunny Hayes doesn’t just return to the track — he returns to a world that has moved on without him. No one expects greatness from him anymore. But F1 reaffirms a radical point: You’re not done unless you decide you’re done as long as you’re alive. Sunny’s return isn’t just about proving others wrong, but about proving to himself that time hasn’t robbed him of what he can still become.
Men Standing Up for Men
I feel that friendship is the most misunderstood and over-abused relationship of all. A good friend of mine recently reminded me of a quote: “A friend to all is a friend to none.” It’s hard to form deeper connections: to find someone we can pour our heart out to and be our true self with.
We live in times of cosmetic connections, filtered friendships, and performative loyalty where bonds can be built or broken on shallow premises.
We don’t talk enough about the quiet, unspoken ways in which men hold each other together. F1 reminded me of the kind of male friendship that feels rare today. I thought of Sunny and Ruben, especially in the climax, when they look at each other and say: “We are the best in the world.” Two men acknowledging each other’s journey with joy and mutual respect.
A Harvard article titled “The Friendship Recession: The Lost Art of Connecting” by Carolyn Bruckmann explores the perils of this very issue and I couldn’t help but nod along while watching the film.
Chasing the Moment to Fly
There’s a scene where Sunny Hayes looks out, vulnerable and says: “I’m chasing that moment every time I get in the car.”
He wasn’t talking about the race. He was talking about that fleeting feeling where you’re not pretending or competing but just being real and alive. Towards the end of the film, that moment comes full circle when the woman whispers:
“He is flying.”
In a way, we’re all chasing that moment. This wasn’t about winning. It was about becoming who you were meant to be, even if only for a fleeting moment.
I don’t know much about Formula 1 racing. I’m still a rookie when it comes to the sport. And yet, I found myself rooting for the car and the man inside it.
That’s what great cinema does. It takes you into worlds you’ve never known, makes you care about things you’ve never cared about. And when it’s done right, it’s not just entertainment but it’s a feeling that lingers, a quiet revolution inside you.
Maybe now I do know why I still watch movies. Long live the magic called cinema.