Closer to the Edge - TT Isle of Man

Mark Kermode is my go-to-guy when it comes to film recommendations. He sung the praises of this documentary from the roof tops when it came out last year, probably because he loves the Isle of Man for some reason. He reconed it would win a bunch of stuff for best documentary, but only managed a single nomination at the British Independent film awards - not great.

This is a documentary about the annual Isle of Man TT motorbike race. It's a race that exists because road racing was outlawed on the British mainland in the early 20th century, and so motorbiking enthusiasts went to the Isle of Man where the law was less strict. The TT race was born and remains an event in the calendar of all motorbiking afficianados to the present day. I'm not even close to being such an afficianado, but even I was able to appreciate the speed, danger and emotion that goes into this unique racing event.

The Isle of Man TT is a motorbike road race that uses the country lanes of the island and has little restriction on what the racers can do to increase their speeds. The film's voice-over talks us through some typical corners, describing how the racers can fly through village lanes at nearly 200mph. It is a surprise then - given the health and safety fixation of the modern world - that the race is still permitted to run in the face of all the deaths and injuries that happen every year. The history of the event is littered with the names of minor celebreties in biking circles who have willingly given their lives up to their hobby, the chance to win even a single TT race.

'Closer to the Edge' took me on an emotional roller-coaster. By talking up the dark history of the race, and introducing the wonderfully colourful characters who were to race in the 2010 event, the film brings you slowly to the realisation that there's a good chance someone is going to die in the film. Real death that is, not some fake movie world death where there's catharsis and heroism, but a real death in which someone is gone. One of the real people we have been introduced to in the opening hour of the film is going to be killed - in fact, has already been killed in real life, and quite probably filmed for this documentary. Who? We don't know, but when the races get going every shot of a bike flying through a narrow Manx lane brings with it a gripping fear. When something eventually happens I was on my seat edge, on the verge of shouting at the screen for them to tell me if anyone was hurt. For nearly 10 minutes the film manages to string out its revelations about the true drama behind the incidents that happened at the 2010 Isle of Man TT race - one of the most stressful and charged 10 minutes of my movie-watching life.

Obviously Senna was the best documentary last year, but this isn't too far behind. It's an insight into the almost anachronistic world of the TT race, which seems to be stuck in a time warp as the rest of the world marches towards wrapping everyone in cotton wool.