Fast
Theatrical release: April 16, 2025
Duration: 1h38
Director: Morgan S. Dalibert
Main actors: Paola Locatelli, Alban Lenoir, Anne Marivin
Synopsis: Max has always loved going fast. She doesn't know how to do it any other way. So when she discovers karting, it's obvious: she will be F1 champion. The junior competitions follow one after the other, the victories too. Yet, at 17, no team will take her on. Her main fault: being a young woman in a man's sport. Faced with a world that turns its back on her, only a former second-rate driver who is completely unpredictable still believes in her potential. One goal: to make Max the fastest
As I already reported on the film Le Mans 66, I like speed, especially in cinema. This impression of speed, the noise of the engines, the concentration of drivers, the growing tension between rivals. Everything I like can probably be found in quite a few racing films that I have already seen, most of them American. But what about French films? Michel Vaillant At the top, I unfortunately cannot say that French cinema is very present in this category. The main objective of French cinema is elsewhere. Until Fast.
I must say that I am quite surprised by the result. Although I do not have the makings of a Ford vs Ferrari , Fast manages to control its run to show us some mind-blowing images: on-board camera, use of drones for certain shots or even the noise of the gears, everything is there to surprise us, right up to the Formula 3 which drives at full speed in the cities, to the point of narrowly avoiding an accident with city cars at the corner of a crossroads. It's fast and the director has experience of beautiful images that go fast. The subject addressed is that of a young woman wanting to make her place in the world of motor sports almost monopolized by men. The film reminds us via a Alban Lenoir supercharged that, only 5 women have competed in Formula 1. The last woman to have attempted to participate being Giovanna Amati in 1992.
As for the character of Max, she is a woman who was born to drive at full speed, and will have only one dream in mind: to demonstrate that women have not said their last word. The interpreter who plays the main role (Paola Locatelli) is bubbly and full of life, ready to fight against prejudices. All this gives the film some energy, even if everything is not rosy and well controlled quickly.
We love the acting of the two main actors, the passage of Tchéky Karyo in the role of Stanislas's father. But all this could be marred by a film with a somewhat predictable plot. But it is true that it is difficult to do more original than two people looking into each other's eyes to see who will be the best on a race track
Although the film demonstrates the director's obvious ambition in its racing scenes, the script suffers from a lack of finesse, particularly in its opening section. The romantic relationship sketched between the two rivals, quickly abandoned thereafter, would have deserved either more in-depth development or being completely removed from the plot.
Ultimately, this work represents a true feat in the French cinematic landscape, where this genre is particularly rare. Its few imperfections should be overlooked, as the film as a whole is well worth the detour.
