PopHorror Let's Get Scared
Michael Pierro’s Self Driver is a movie I was a bit torn on when I first planned on writing this review. Like a dozen times before, I was left fulfilled and content. I don’t exactly know what I was expecting, I thought maybe some lame movie where someone drives around and goes through the same old motions. However, on the first note, it did sound pretty interesting. I still didn’t expect much, from the preview, it was hard to tell the film’s intent. I must add that this is a great PR move. It leaves you questioning the reality of this movie. Maybe even reality itself.
Synopsis
Facing mounting expenses and the unrelenting pressure of modern living, a down-on-his-luck cab driver (Nathaniel Chadwick) is lured on to a mysterious new app that promises fast, easy money. As his first night on the job 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 what it means to have freewill. The question becomes not how much money he can make, but what he’ll be compelled to do to make it.
A Life of Crimes
Almost all of us have taken a cab, or even better, some of us rely on an app where an average Joe picks us up. That is kind of how Self Driver presents itself. You can tell from the first five minutes that you will question your motives while someone is driving you around. What would you do with the chance to make more money on an unknown app? We have all debated delivering food or people to a destination. With today’s technology, you don’t even have to call to schedule a ride. It’s 2025, and we have gotten reliant on technology for everything.
What if, instead of dropping off drunk folks in front of their frat house, cleaning up puke, or even worse bodily fluids; we had another option? What would your option be? For this driver, he chose to make more money to take care of his family. The movie becomes a really wild time very quickly. Everything escalates with perfect timing. The more you watch, the more the story messes with you. I can imagine the droves of people who will shun apps like Uber after seeing this film. Self driver is a reminder that bad people exist, and they travel in the night, where no one notices them.
In The End
The idea of a dark side in the business of driving people around all night. One thing that really surprised me was the detailed story, and how they could lay it on you easily as a viewer. Self Driver wants you to think. The film thrives on being a bit anxious. This is a real-life situation, even if it is fabricated. With sex trafficking and drug deals, even murders, someone has to drive them to safety, and they pay good money for this service.
Maybe I am looking at this the wrong way. Maybe I am inspired by how easily getting paid is when someone is trying to get far away from a crime scene. There was also a point where the driver had rules he broke. You wonder how it will play out, but no one even noticed. Self Driver will stick with me for a while.
