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Ford v Ferrari

Karl and I watched the movie Ford v Ferrari tonight on HBO.

I think Karl was pretty surprised that I suggested we watch it. To be honest, it wasn’t a move either one of us would think we’d be interested in. While I love to drive – and stick is best – I am definitely not a racecar fan.

I suggested it because I like the actors who star in it (Matt Damon and Christian Bale) and I knew it had produced some Oscar nominations. But I have to say, I didn’t expect to be writing a post about it.

What a good movie, though! I love it when we start watching a production hoping for the best but not having the highest of expectations. It’s great to be pleasantly surprised.

The Choices We Make

It’s a true story, or at least it’s factually based on the lives of two men, Carroll Shelby, a race car designer and builder, and Ken Miles, a daring and skilled race car driver. The drama was tight and definitely relatable, especially with respect to the pressure brought to bear on the pair from corporate suits at Ford.

Indeed, that aspect was maddening.

But when all was said and done, the choices each made in the moment stuck with me. They caused me to think about life and what we do with the time we’re given here on Earth. What values and talents do we hope to pass on to our kids? What’s really important to each of us in the long run? I know, typical annoying questions you’d expect me to ask.

Yet I ask that them not only with respect to the choices made by the characters in the movie, but also with respect to our own legacies.

Our Choices Define Us

The driver, Ken Miles, is certainly depicted as a guy who drove hard but was intimately tuned to the machine he was driving. He could read the cars he drove better than most of us read our own bodies. And he achieved some milestones with those cars that obviously made a difference, especially in the trajectory and legacy of the Ford Motor Company. I can only imagine how proud his wife and son were – and are – of him. Certainly they must be gratified that his story is being told.

And yet I suspect many people unfamiliar with the racing world would never have heard of him had it not been for this movie. And even if everyone knew his name at one point (in the ‘60s), it seems to only take a couple of decades or so for people to forget.

Most pertinent of all, at least from how he is depicted in this movie, I doubt Ken Miles ever imagined a movie would be made about him, his choices, and his role in the competition between Ford and Ferrari.

All Around Us

All around us there are people living extraordinary lives who probably appear ordinary to many of their peers. Indeed, perhaps many of us sharing these posts are living such lives.

It makes me think about the stories we hold close to the vest. Why we make the choices we do. Who cares and who will remember?

In any given moment, it seems like the true measure of who we are resides in the choices we make when we think no one will ever know and no one will ever care.

In the end, if we’re not true to ourselves, then why bother?

(T-502)