Speed (Emile Hirsch) is the pride and joy of the picture-esque Racer family, who live and breathe motorsport, but when Speed catches the attention of multi-national sponsors after winning a big race, he finds himself embroiled in a world of corporate intrigue and learns that his pure passion for the sport might not be enough to take him to the top.

The final film made by the Wachowski's before Lana was outed as transgender by tabloid press, the film’s candy coloured visuals and pet monkey gags give way to reveal a narrative of the duality between living life with or without a mask through Speed’s relationship to the mysterious mercenary driver Racer X (Matthew Fox), marking this a fascinating object of queer cinema history.

Panned upon release, Speed Racer has now crossed the finish line into cult classic fame. Reconsider this for yourself!

You’re invited to the LUMI Masquerade, a season of films that peeks behind the masks, literal and metaphorical, we all wear. Through a selection of 6 films chosen entirely by LUMI Programmers, we’ll explore what masks conceal and reveal.