Self Driver

Ignoring phone calls from his landlord, and dissembling on calls from his live-in partner - who wants to know when he'll be home to help with the baby, and why the wifi isn't working, he's paid the bill hasn't he? - ride-sharing driver D doesn't have to think long and hard when a passenger suggests he do the same work for a new company. As long as he doesn't talk to the passengers, and does EVERYTHING the app tells him to do, he can make a lot more money essentially doing the same work that is leaving him broke.

Nathanael Chadwick's D has quickly established himself as a sympathetic character: laid off from his office job by a corporate merger, he uncomplainingly tries to do right by his young family and even by his often-obnoxious customers. So when he accepts the stranger's offer, we're rooting for him to start pulling down several thousand bucks a night, even if it means - what? - transporting drugs and guns?

At first this seems to be the case, and maybe D can handle it, but as the long night wears on, the tension mounts as D is ordered to transport an armed thief - or maybe hit man - and this new rideshare's business starts to appear more and more predatory. This might be D's first big night to make big bucks, but the rideshare fines him every time he makes a wrong move, and the things it makes him do become more ruthless and more dangerous.

Chadwick heads a small cast (augmented by hundreds of bystanders and partygoers in the background of Toronto night streets, and late in the film, even a pair of prowling raccoons) with vivid entries also made by Christian Aldo as the gunman, Catt Filippov as a professional party girl, and Reece Presley and Lauren Welchner as a pair of nasty quasi-vampiric kidnappers. With these forces at play, not until the last scenes do we find out if D can both extricate and redeem himself.

Since its emergence after World War II, film noir has always been cinema's low-budget underbelly, devising works that have kept stoking viewers' imaginations longer than most of their more mainstream contemporaries. Made with cellphones, a small cast and crew, and an expert score from Antonio Naranjo, Michael Pierro's "Self Driver" makes a good case for nouveau film noirs that are even darker and grittier than their predecessors.

This was a film that I got the chance to see via screener thanks to Scott Motisko as this is getting released by Cinephobia. They've put out interesting films that I've seen over the last couple years so I was intrigued to see what we'd get here. Now this was listed in the press release as horror. I don't necessarily believe it falls into that genre. It is dark and pushes the limit on things so I wanted to at least cover this on the podcast.

Synopsis: facing mounting expenses and unrelenting pressure of modern living, a down-on-his luck driver is lured on to a mysterious new app that promises fast, easy money. As his first night unfolds, he is pulled ever deeper into the dark underbelly of society, embarking on a journey that will test his moral code and shake his understanding of freewill.

We then start by getting to know our lead character, D (Nathanael Chadwick). He has a girlfriend and together, they have a child. What we'll learn later is that he's in-between jobs. He worked in an office, there was a merger and he was downsized. To make ends meet, he's driving on a rideshare app. His landlord calls, to which D ignores, my guess being that he doesn't have the money.

This then does well in showing us a cross section of the people that he gives rides to over this night. One in particular is Nic (Adam Goldhammer). He gives him his card about a new ride share app. If D signs up that night, he'll get a sign-on bonus of $100. He could also make 4 to 5 thousand dollars, depending on how much he wants to work. This seems more enticing when a young woman throws up in his backseat and the app, he currently uses tells him he needs to rest for 8 hours.

He takes up Nic on his offer. D is rushed through the fine print and he's told the rules. They include not talking to the passengers he picks up. He also needs to follow what he is told exactly. This is something he learns when he misses turns looking for his first passenger. She is dubbed Angel (Catt Filippov). There is a moment where she's nervous about where she's going for her destination and asks if he can wait for her. The next passenger requires him to make a quick decision. This is pushed to the limits as the people he drives for and what the app tells him to do becomes more stressful. It then becomes a question of how far you'll go for money and what you'll allow it to happen without acting.

That is where I'll leave my recap and introduction to the characters. Where I'll start is that this explores interesting commentary without being in your face. There are things that are more catalysts as to why D is staying out, trying to pick up more passengers to earn more. I don't think that's necessarily in your face. With the price of things like rent, utilities and groceries, most everyone watching this understands it. Even more so when we learn that he lost his job and has a child at home. The bigger things about how much of the bad things that he is privy to will he put up before it is enough? It brings into question what we'll do for money.

Now that I have that set up, this is a character study of D. Most of this film is us watching him, seeing his reactions to the different things that happen. It feels like there's a camera mounted on his dashboard or someone sitting in the passenger seat. There's also a grainy look to the film that gives it a gritty feeling. It will also shift to being like a dashcam showing what he's seeing as well as being flipped around to see the people in the backseat, using different angles. I'll just go ahead and say that the cinematography as well as framing give this an intimate feel that worked for me.

Let me get back to what my original point was and that is this main character. I like that before his night gets started, we learn about this financial situation. There is more that gets revealed later to help explain it, but we know just enough. This includes that he has a significant other and a child. His landlord is calling and he's stressed about getting as many rides as he can. That is creating tension and can feel the pressure on him. Plus, it costs money for gas so he's not pulling in all the money that he's 'earning'. He also has to wait to be paid. There is commentary here as well on the dark side of this industry. It is all predicated on people needing rides. You also need to be working when people are going on. There are rude passengers and even one young woman who vomits in his car. I've had a friend do this for a bit. I don't think I could.

Where I then want to go would be with this new app that he's trying. Something interesting is that D asks Nic if it is available in the normal store on his phone. Nic tells him no, that you must go to their website. This feels like a borderline dark web. It is definitely looking at the dangers of unregulated technology. The clients here are ranging through doing different things. I do like seeing how much D will compromise his morals as well as seeing that the more money the jobs offer, the more he is willing to put up with. This also explores the class struggle as well, showing the dark side of capitalism. It uses the idea that everyone has a price.

Let's then shift this over to the acting performances. I've already said that Chadwick is solid. We see that he's stressed from the start and this night doesn't get any better for him. There are moments of hope that are dashed away. I've been there, so I was able to connect with that. Goldhammer is good as his catalyst to get D started down this dark path with an enticing offer. I do like Filippov and the other passengers for this new app he's using. The voices we hear over the phone are also solid. Everyone works for what is needed to push our lead to where he ends up.

All that is left then is filmmaking. I've already complimented the cinematography and framing. Something I didn't bring up is that D is given a drug to help him stay awake. Things get trippy from there and I thought that was a good touch to help see what he is. This has limited effects outside of that, but it also doesn't need them. It is more seeing the events weighing on our lead character. What we do though is practical and they are solid. Other than that, what they did with the soundtrack and design worked for what was needed.

In conclusion, this is a solid thriller. It is grounded in a way where I could connect with our lead character, D, having gone through similar stresses in my life. It is dark in nature with the jobs this app forces him to do for money and seeing him decide if they are worth doing. Chadwick is good as our lead. The rest of the cast push him to where it ends up. This is made well with the cinematography, framing and the limited effects leading the way. Now this isn't a horror film, but I would still recommend this to genre film fans. A tight little film with events that could happen.

My Rating: 7 out of 10.

No pun intended - if you are a fan of low budget movies ... well you are in the right place. This was done as cheap as possible and as the director himself admitted it could not have been done years ago - technology advances and making movies with it. Small cameras that were needed to be put in the car, so they can shoot the way you will see them here. That said, the movie has at least one scene where the camera loses its grip ... but you might not even notice smaller "mistakes" like this one.

You have to suspend your disbelief though - and just get on with the main character wanting to make as much money as possible ... and not wanting to go home to his family ... and still root for him that is of course. He does some things that I would consider ... not too smart, but then again, if he wouldn't have done those things ... well we wouldn't have a movie now would we? Overall well acted and very well edited.