Film Review: Drive and A Separation

DRIVE (Nicolas Winding Refn, 2011)

Ryan Gosling in Drive

I was in complete awe when the end credits of this film had started rolling. Now that I’m writing what I think of the film I try to recall the name of the driver (Ryan Gosling’s character), but I can’t, despite the character’s impact every time he’s on the screen. Now, I know why I can’t recall his name: he has no name. At least, no other characters call him by his name. He’s just the driver who performs stunts on films and moonlights as driver for getaway cars. The monotony of his enigmatic life gets disturbed when he gets involved with the ‘affair’ of his neighbor. And what a good film indeed results from this premise.

I’ve only watched a few films of 2011 but this, I think, is one of the best of that year.

Rating: 4.0/4.0

A SEPARATION (Asghar Farhadi, 2011)

An important/crucial scene in A Separation

The wife wants their family to leave the country for a better life abroad. The husband doesn’t agree, he can’t leave his father who has Alzheimer’s disease. The wife wants a divorce (or separation); she wants to take their daughter with her. According to the law, the husband has to agree. And so on. The result of what looks like a lame premise for a drama film is a film which might make us think for a while that it’s like Rashomon (Akira Kurosawa) but directed by Alfred Hitchcock. That’s how great this Iranian film is. This film is another reminder that good (or intelligent) script is still the best ingredient to make a good film, not the senseless blastings, unnecessary and extended showcase of effects, and hype.

Rating: 4.0/4.0