One of the biggest names in Formula 1 racing, Ayrton Senna was 34 years old when he died at the San Marino Grand Prix in Imola, Italy. Overcast with foreboding, Asif Kapadia’s expertly-orchestrated doc condenses the breakneck decade leading up to its subject’s 1994 apotheosis, beginning with Senna’s arrival in Europe after a karting career in his native Brazil. Senna’s life story is told through his races, including three World Championship wins in down-to-the-wire seasons. The journey is relived through a synthesis of broadcast footage, on-board camera feed, and omnipotent backstage camcorder recordings. Footage is often silent, the private man left inscrutable. Senna appears also in his own words, in candid interviews talking about his favorite subjects: his faith in God and his skepticism toward the politics of F1 racing. Even nonbelievers in Senna’s sport and church will find it difficult to visit Kapadia’s cinematic shrine without emotion. (PG-13) NICK PINKERTON

Mon., Jan. 23, 7 p.m., 2012