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DRIVERX
Director: Henry Barrial Cast: Patrick Fabian, Tanya Clarke, Desmin Borges, Travis Schuldt, Melissa Fumero, Oscar Nuñez, Nina Senicar, Iqbal Theba, Max Gail MPAA
Rating: Running Time: 1:38 Release Date: 11/30/18 (limited) |
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Review by Mark Dujsik | November 29, 2018 The job market has changed for better, in terms of freedom, and for worse, in terms of actual financial security. There's a struggle to adapt to these changes, and admirably, DriverX attempts to examine that. Ultimately, though, the movie doesn't have much to say, beyond stating the obvious. The title comes from a fictional ride-sharing company that seems like an easy financial fix for former record store owner, stay-at-home father, and currently unemployed Leonard (Patrick Fabian). He and his wife Dawn (Tanya Clarke), parents of two daughters, have property taxes due, but her job isn't enough to cover the payment. After discovering that his extensive record collection is relatively worthless, Leonard signs up for DriverX in the hopes of making enough money to pay the forthcoming bill. Writer/director Henry Barrial's story is mostly a series of vignettes, following Leonard as he goes about his new nightly routine of transporting strangers around Los Angeles. Some are rude and/or obnoxious. A couple are helpful in getting him a better rating on the online app, and a couple others are overly flirtatious with Leonard. Some are friendly, especially Tom (Desmin Borges), who becomes a regular as he and his wife party separately but meet each other at home with a warm embrace. That subplot is intended to reflect Leonard's own marriage, which starts to become a struggle as he stays out at night—sometimes until morning. All of this points to a filmmaker who's very confused by way things are changing, which is understandable. That confusion, though, usually ends up in scathing indictments by way of the passengers or, in one instance, broad satire, when Leonard debates an insurance claim on his car with an artificial intelligence at DriverX headquarters—and then a human who just comes across like a robot. Barrial eventually tries to put a good face on this change in the way we work, with Leonard happily finding adventure, despite the terrible pay, and the married couple figuring that things will work out somehow, despite the terrible pay again. DriverX starts to look hopefully optimistic, but after spending so much time in a tone that's either almost angry or completely mocking, that attempted optimism feels more like defeatism. Copyright © 2018 by Mark Dujsik. All rights reserved. |
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