Drive: Multiple personas of an unnamed driver

Action movies have a typical script supplemented by lots of combat sequences, car chases and explosions taking place every few minutes in the film. The plot is always predictable and the norm for action flicks is – the bigger the budget, the better the film. This has become the standard to expect from Hollywood films over the past few decades, especially for blockbuster action films. A film that wouldn’t follow this norm is expected to fail in the box office but director Nicolas Winding Refn took a chance and made a unique film with the release of Drive.

An unnamed driver moves into an apartment in a building in Los Angeles. He works as a stunt driver for Hollywood films on a part-time basis and is employed on a full-time basis as a mechanic in a garage. His deep, dark secret is that he also moonlights as a getaway driver for anyone who wants to hire him for criminal activities. His new neighbour is a young mother named Irene, and her son Benicio, with the family patriarch absent because of a prison sentence. The driver is attracted to the beautiful young woman and aids her with routine tasks to spend time with her. Irene is also seemingly attracted to him and allows him to hang around with her son as they bond together. Just as their relationship seems to be moving forward, Irene’s husband is released from prison and comes back to his family while bringing his troubles along.

Drive was released in the year 2011. It was directed by Nicolas Winding Refn and stars Ryan Gosling and Carey Mulligan in the lead roles. The screenplay for the film is adapted from a novel of the same name which was written by James Sallis. The film is unique especially because it does not fit entirely into one particular genre. There are elements of an action film with car chases which forms an important part of the film while there is drama and crime running through the main plot with a parallel story of romance. The use of multiple genres is what makes it most interesting.

The film has been made simply. There are no deep undertones which divert too far from the main plot. The storyline moves quickly and the main plot twist comes as soon as the characters and the story is established. From then on the characters are pulled and pushed in different directions based on their morality and how they will react to certain situations. One particular scene which shows the director’s intent with playing around with his characters is when the driver and Irene are isolated in an elevator with a hitman. The driver pulls Irene to a corner and kisses her passionately for the first time which is shown with the lights dimming, the shot being slowed down in time and slow romantic music being used for the background score. The driver then pushes Irene to safety as the hitman reaches for his gun; the driver beats up the hitman, throws him to the ground and keeps kicking his head till it caves in. After this, the driver looks up to see Irene outside the elevator, staring at him while the elevator doors close. The scene could translate into Irene completely falling in love with the driver but then witnessing a new side of him which shocks her with the closing elevator doors being an allegory for the end of their relationship. There is also a depth in the character of the unnamed driver which remains unexplained. He seems to be reserved and uses limited speech but turns into a figure of command when behind the wheel of a car. His persona changes when he is driving and the actors he doubles for as stunt actor become the inspiration for his violence as he dons their mask in one of the scenes where he sets out to take revenge. Even his sense of dressing is a reflection of the characters he plays on screen while his obsession with chewing on a toothpick pick and wearing gloves every now and then remain unexplained.

The film is a fresh take to Hollywood’s regular styles. The infusion of drama, crime, romance and action together is probably the main highlight. It is a good film; worth a watch.

Teddy Bear: The pursuit of true love

Love can have different forms and everyone wants to be loved in some form or the other. Love is a versatile word as well which can apply to the relationship between a mother and child, between siblings, between friends and between spouses. Of all the instances when one feels loved, the love of a spouse or a partner is one of the most desired. Almost everyone is born into a family and receives love from their immediate relative but finding someone to spend a night or the rest of your life with means much more to people. This is the story of Teddy Bear, a 2012 first full length feature film for Danish director Mads Matthiesen.

Dennis is a 38 year old bodybuilder who lives with his mother. While it is seemingly difficult for Dennis to find a date under normal circumstances owing to his overbearing figure, he is also introverted and finds it difficult to express himself as he is shy. Additionally, his mother is an overprotective and needy woman who wants her son to be at her side at all times of the day which allows him no time to meet other people. Dennis has an enormous amount of respect and devotion to his mother which adds to his problem of not dating as he does not want to disappoint her by bringing another woman into the household. However, Dennis’ views on the matter are drastically changed as his uncle returns from Thailand with a wife. Dennis is encouraged to visit Thailand and find himself a suitable mate, just like his uncle, and finally decides to slacken the bond between himself and his mother in favour of an attempt at finding a relationship with a significant other.

The film is actually a sequel of a short film made in 2007 by Mads Matthiesen which was titled Dennis. The premise of Teddy Bear picks up from Dennis, starring the same cast of mother and son, as Dennis tries once again to find love in his life. The relationship of the two is maintained over the two films with the differences only resulting from the finally outcomes of Dennis’ decisions.

The simplicity of the film is where its brilliance lies. But often, the simplicity of the film leads to it becoming monotonous and uninteresting. Most audiences believe that they are able to relate to Dennis and his lack at finding love because of being introverted and having a possessive mother but the fact of the matter is the problem in Dennis’ life is rooted much deeper than being merely introverted. Dennis has low self esteem issues and his perception of himself in other people’s eyes leads to him being introverted. His mother and problems arising due to her constant needy and possessive nature as well as Dennis’ respect for her leads to additional problems. But the main problem is in the fact that most people won’t give Dennis a second glance as a suitable mate owing to his grotesque figure. Dennis’ life as a bodybuilder picks up reactions from many people which are untoward. Although he is respected in the bodybuilding fraternity, to the rest of the world he is perceived as a ‘freakishly large man’.

Most audiences believe that they can relate to the story for the wrong reasons. In retrospect, Teddy Bear may be a good account of the life of someone who is different and trying to fit in, but it is by no means a story that applies to everyone’s lives unless they imaginatively impose Dennis’ problems in their own lives. At best, one can compare situations and identify with Dennis but not to the extent as to claim that the problems are the same.

The film is a simple account with no great dramatic finale, just something that was long coming finally happening in the end. It is an above average film but not a terrible disappointment. It is a fair reflection in the life of someone who stands out and is trying to fit in.

The Hunt (Jagten): The hunt never ends

The hunt never ends. It can be explained in multiple ways but amounts to the same thing, the hunt never ends. It changes, it progresses, it regresses, but it never ends. So to speak, it’s like saying once a smoker, always a smoker. Once you are seen in a particular light, it becomes very hard to shake off that perception. A bad reputation catches on faster than a good one and is also very difficult to change.

Lukas is a divorced (or separated) father of a single son who works as a handyman in a kindergarten after losing his job as a teacher in a high school that shut down. He is only allowed to meet his son a few days a week and is trying to convince his ex-wife to allow his son to visit more often and stay a few days longer or possibly live-in with him. Lukas continues to perform the odd jobs at the kindergarten and stay connected with his group of friends whose favourite pastimes are hunting deer and drinking alcohol. His best friend’s daughter also studies at the kindergarten where he works who develops an infatuation for Lukas around the same time he starts a relationship with one of the staff at the kindergarten. Times get tough for Lukas as a small lie takes precedence over trust and friendship eventually creating havoc in their small town and, in particular, wrecking Lukas’ life in the process as he is just about to receive a second chance to reconcile with his son.

One of the most brilliantly crafted movies in recent times, The Hunt (Jagten) directed by Danish director Thomas Vinterberg has elements of a small town story which affects lives in a big way. It may not be a film that everyone can relate to owing to the gravity of the situation that is created in the story, but it does have a plot which can be reasoned with and understood. The film doesn’t overdramatise scenes in spite of their thought provoking content, it merely places emphasis by taking the audience through the motions of the thoughts and the emotions that the characters will be witnessing. It tells the story from the point of view of a helpless man caught in a scandal with nowhere to go and almost no aid by his side. It also highlights how simple misplaced facts or half truths can have a drastic affect on any one person’s life.

Vinterberg has a way of picking out one-to-one peoples relationships and show them in retrospect with the big picture. He takes the audience up close and personal with the characters that play an important role in the outcome of the plot and allows them to understand each characters perspective. His style provides the perfect balance from human emotions to light background scoring and interesting, mostly handheld, shots that provide an insight into how the characters are feeling. The role of the protagonist is played to perfection by the actor Mads Mikkelsen. Mikkelsen seems to be a perfect fit for the role since he mirrors the same persona as Lukas which is a sense of being responsible and hapless at the same time.

Vinterberg highlights the plight of a helpless man more than anything in this film. He also places a light on friendship and family, showing that one must be sacrificed in order for the other to grow. The plot also shows how people can be gullible and that one thoughtless action can result in the destruction of another person’s world as they know it. In the end, Vinterberg shows that perceptions, especially bad ones, are hard to shake off, and this forms one of the key messages at the end of the film.

This film may be one of the contemporary greats; a brilliant film which has come along after a very long time. It is an example that it is not necessary to have a large budget to produce an excellent film. It may not strike a chord with everyone since it is a little difficult to relate to and it may not challenge for the greatest of honours, but it does have an appeal of its own by bringing the audience into the action and providing an excellent film experience on the whole.