The Gran Turismo movie hasn’t exactly received a very positive reception from critics, but there is one element in particular on which many are pointing the finger in a negative way, namely the exploitation of thereal incident that happened to Jann Mardenboroughrepositioned in a different way from reality to be able to use it as a narrative element.
As we have seen, the Gran Turismo movie is based on the true story of Mardenborough, a British boy passionate about racing games who finds himself, thanks to the initiative of GT Academy, to become a real driver. The film largely follows real events, at least in its main moments, although these are clearly fictionalized to give a more cinematic sense to the whole. The reception so far hasn’t been particularly positive, but there is one detail that stands out in a particularly negative way according to several critics.
Among the episodes told in the film there is also the terrible accident in which the driver was involved in March 2015: during a VLN endurance race on the famous Nürburgring Nordschleife circuit, Mardenborough’s Nissan GT3 Nismo literally took off, crashing into the protective barriers on the edge of the track.
The pilot was not seriously injured, but some spectators were involved in the accident: one of these is died, while others were transported to hospital in various conditions. The episode of the accident is replicated in a rather spectacular way in the film, but what has most outraged is the fact that it has been shifted chronologically in order to use it as a narrative device.
In the film, the incident is used as a turning point for Mardenborough, which obviously causes a deep crisis in the boy but which ultimately pushes him to react and leads him to reach third place at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. In truth, the episode is positioned at a different point in the pilot’s career.
The third place at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, seen as a triumphal moment of a journey that also included the accident as the main element in the film, actually took place in 2013, two years before of the accident at the Nordschleife. This was seen as somewhat cynical by the director and writers.
“The details of the Mardenborough tragedy have been rearranged to fit the third act better,” said critic Charlotte O’Sullivan in the Evening Standard. “In reality, Mardenborough’s run to third place at Le Mans was pretty smooth, with the horrific crash occurring two years later. To suggest that the latter helped Jann achieve greatness is not only false, but it is also reprehensible“.
Oli Welsh’s review of Polygon shares the same opinion: “Although the incident happened essentially as described, Hall and Baylin’s screenplay have moved it to transform it into a seminal and motivating moment for Mardenborough’s heroic journey towards the podium at Le Mans. The real accident happened years later, which makes it an insensitive modification of a serious event.”
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