Henry Barrial’s film DriverX follows Leonard Moore (Patrick Fabian), a husband and father who takes on a night job of driving for DriverX, a company similar to Uber and other ride-share services. He recently had to close his record store, causing him to need to find a job in order to help his family.
Realism in its Portrayal of Our Society
DriverX focuses its main action on Leonard trying to find a job where his knowledge of music is appreciated, but he is looked over by a company comprised of mostly younger employees with different feelings towards music and the importance of preserving and acknowledging music history.
DriverX delves into what it means to grow and change, while expressing both the good and bad of change as well as keeping your dreams alive. Using a ride-share service as a way to introduce Leonard to people of different ages and backgrounds. This concept of the film could have gone further, but it also provided for some interesting interactions, which helped develop Leonard’s character and the film’s focus on Leonard’s journey in discovering more about himself.
In one interaction with passengers, Leonard is given advice on how to succeed in this business. This interaction worked well as a start to Leonard taking this job more seriously than previously. Without this moment, I could easily believe him giving up this job. Having this interaction, especially with how responsive Leonard is to the advice, helps move the film forward while remaining realistic in its portrayal of ride-share services.
In addition to exploring our current society’s attitudes to hiring older workers, and people of all backgrounds ending in freelance jobs such as DriverX, the film also explores the struggles of marriage and raising a family. Tanya Clarke’s performance as Leonard’s wife Dawn feels real throughout the film, especially in moments which explore the nuance of loving someone and working together to make a marriage work.
Performances Build A Memorable Character Study
Patrick Fabian’s performance as Leonard helps build the right atmosphere for a strong character study. In every interaction with different passengers, his performance worked off each person in a different and unique way, which added depth to his character.
When his passenger Tom (Desmin Borges) comes along, the film picks up, giving a strong dynamic to explore in a more lasting way throughout the film. The mix of one-off passengers and Tom, who comes back in important moments throughout the film, added to the realism of the film and its portrayal of ride-share culture. Borges performance brings Tom to life, making him both likable and someone who feels like a magnet for trouble. The small yet memorable glimpse into his home life paints the rest of his interactions with Leonard in a sweet, yet sad light.
Fabian plays his part in a natural and striking way, which kept me interested in seeing how this study of his character would change throughout his journey. In every moment, Leonard’s actions felt natural for the scenario, even if the moments themselves are something his character would never have experienced before joining DriverX. The writing and performances made anything that happened to the characters flow from one moment to the next.
Simplicity and Focus on Its Main Characters
I like the way this film focuses on its main character and does not bring in many over-the-top plot elements through his journey as a driver, but at times, I wondered when an interaction with a passenger would push his journey in different ways. DriverX does a good job of making Leonard’s interactions meaningful in smaller ways though, and Fabian expertly plays Leonard’s quiet changes and more internal focused struggles.
Focusing on interactions based around feelings and less focused on dialogue made his interactions with passengers stronger. In every scene with a new passenger, there is always something under the surface, and every actor lets their feelings come through in subtle and memorable ways. Nina Senicar’s performance as Nina, a member of a band who cannot speak English, is especially strong in this regard.
The interactions between Nina and Leonard showcase an abundance of emotions below the surface, and help push Leonard towards discovering more about himself, and where he wants his life to go from this moment forward.
DriverX follows a fairly simple plot, yet in every moment, we learn something about its main characters, and we remain focused and captivated by its performances.
Technical Strengths and The Beauty of the Night
Night in the city plays just as big a part in DriverX as its characters. The film captures the beauty of the bright lights and dark streets of a city at night. On a low budget, DriverX managed to capture beautiful night shots.
Scenes within the car always captured the mood of the scene and the conversation with the passenger. These scenes felt both cinematic and natural in their lighting. Patrick Fabian’s performance in these scenes brought his character to life, especially the different ways his character responds to different passengers and scenarios.
DriverX: Conclusion
DriverX is a memorable character study, centered around an especially strong performance from Patrick Fabian. With a small budget, DriverX manages to capture the beauty of a city at night, while exploring generational differences and self-discovery.
DriverX releases November 30th in the United States. Visit here for more release date information.
What do you think about basing a film around current services such as Uber? Please share in the comments!
DriverX will be released in theaters in the United States on November 30, 2018. For all international release dates, see here.
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