Documentary Review: ‘And We Go Green’ On Hulu

Review by James Lindorf

And we go green is the phrase used to signify the start of every Formula E race. The ground-breaking electric car racing series is full of big personalities, high-speed crashes, and none of the emissions. Directors Fisher Stevens and Malcolm Venville turn the typical sports doc on end by blending exhilarating racing footage, personal stories, and environmental activism in their new documentary. “And We Go Green” builds to the dramatic conclusion of Formula E’s fourth season in 2018 while highlighting how the sport can help change the world. The film, which was produced by activist and acting icon Leonardo DiCaprio, will premier on Hulu June 4th.

There is a chance that “And We Go Green” would be a “better” film if it focused on one of its three main elements. It could have chosen to focus on the drivers, and the emotional toll racing puts on them, and there was plenty of tension during the fourth season. Alternatively, they could have focused entirely on the sport itself. They could have looked at how the driver’s train, how pit stops work, and adding more race footage for a heart-pounding time. With both Stevens and DiCaprio being involved, the element most likely to dominate the film under a reimagining is the environmental activism portion. There is much to explore there, how the cars are made, how traditional racecars compare in terms of emissions. There could have been an entire segment on the safe to drink fuel used to power the generators that charge the cars because it is fascinating.

Maybe with a narrowing of their focus, they could have made an excellent movie beloved by all who saw it. However, that theoretical audience would pale in comparison to what this version will attract. In America, open-wheeled racing isn’t a prevalent sport outside of a couple of events, so a deep dive into the mechanics and minutia of the sport wouldn’t attract a broad audience. Human dramas can always find an audience, but focusing on the drivers would have put it in direct competition with Netflix’s “Formula 1: Drive to Survive.” It would be hard to compete with the premier racing league and the recognizable names. It was probably a smart decision to not go down that road. There isn’t a much hotter topic than global warming, and it is surprising that when two people with that background got together, they didn’t make it the center of their film. However, I think Stevens and Venville hit the perfect balance for an introductory film. It introduces people to the drives, to open-wheeled racing, and one possible future for the automobile. Without delving too deep into any topic, they made the film accessible to a much wider audience.

Formula E became the world’s fastest-growing sport in four short years. The series is new and always evolving, changing rules, cars, even the number of competitors, giving viewers a chance to grow with them. The character-driven storylines are the core of “And We Go Green.” The season spans eight months, and five continents a test of endurance for the racing and filmmaking teams. “And We Go Green” blends conventional racetrack footage with modern techniques that include cameras mounted in the cockpits or pursuit cars to add excitement to the tension building between the drivers. As the rankings change tempers flair and anger spills out onto the track, and it as all captured on film.