Weekend films

"F1', a high-adrenaline blockbuster

At the cinema, the new film starring Brad Pitt aims to take the weekend box office

by Andrea Chimento

27 June 2025

3' min read

Key points

The past playing with the present
Everything in a summer

3' min read

A film with no slumps throughout its two-and-a-half hour duration: this is how 'F1', the absolute star of the weekend in theatres, can be summed up.

Directed by Joseph Kosinski, this high-budget feature follows the story of a former Formula 1 driver, Sonny Hayes, who, after retiring in the 1990s following a serious injury that threatened to end his career forever, decides to return to the track.

His friend Ruben runs a racing stable and its star driver is the young motor racing hopeful, Joshua Pearce. Unfortunately, Ruben's team is in dire straits and close to bankruptcy: Sonny's entry on the scene could be a solution, also to smooth out the edgy character of Pearce, a talented boy but with a mentality still to be honed.

It will be Hayes' job to make him a champion by becoming his mentor.

There are many cross-references between this 'F1' and Kosinski's previous film, 'Top Gun: Maverick', both in the narrative structure and in some of the dynamics that develop between the characters, and in the overall performance that undoubtedly lives up to expectations.

What works magnificently is precisely the pace, starting with a powerful opening sequence, enhanced by a beautiful alternating montage, in which the viewer's attention is immediately high and will remain so until the end credits.

“F1” e gli altri film della settimana
Photogallery4 foto

The past playing with the present

Already from the initial subject matter, one can see how the film is a constant interplay between the past and the present, not only because of the choice of a protagonist who is a champion of the 1990s, but also because of a dramaturgical structure that combines stylistically vintage dynamics with passages that are entirely the product of the contemporary world (and cinema).

A few moments may be predictable, but that counts for little in the face of a great show, which is also capable of involving the human scale and offers some very emotional sequences.

The theme of redemption is dealt with without falling into the constant rhetorical traps that the film finds along the way, and for this reason, too, it is one of the most interesting American titles released in our cinemas in recent months.

A good performance by Brad Pitt as Sonny Hayes, but the whole cast undoubtedly does its job well.

Everything in a summer

A positive mention among new releases also goes to the French debut 'Everything in a Summer' by Louise Courvoisier.

The protagonist is an eighteen-year-old boy who, from one day to the next, sees his life change drastically, having to support himself and take care of his seven-year-old sister. Accustomed to spending his days drinking with friends and partying wildly, he is forced to get his act together and find a way to earn a living.

An interesting coming-of-age story, 'All in a Summer' falls into some of the stereotypes of certain contemporary European cinema, but still manages to be profound in its portrayal of the characters on stage.

Director Louise Courvoisier does not look like a beginner and signs a film with a straightforward and decisive mise-en-scène, capable of not getting lost in frills or useless stylistic embellishments: she will be one of the names to watch out for on the entire transalpine film scene in the coming years.