Immersing oneself within the world of a film is a task that is not achieved by all films. Nicolas Winding Refn’s Drive (2011) is a masterpiece that tunes out an audience members’ perception of their own self and reality and plugs them into the reality of the film. As the film progresses, Ryan Gosling’s character donning his Scorpion embroidered jacket seeking a heavily desired rush of adrenaline, sees the point of view shift numerous times. Within some moments, it appears that the narrative is being told in Gosling’s point of view, as his behaviour in a range of situations is observed. The point of view then shifts to be told from the perspective as an audience member, overlooking the present situation, scrutinising Gosling’s and Carey Mulligan’s characters constantly surrounded by a deep and tense atmosphere accompanied by accelerated car chases. Audiences are removed for their own senses, and placed within the film, specifically in the shots in which Gosling is driving down the highway, the camera shot- a point of view shot where the eyes see the dashboard and the illumination of the road. Through this, perceptual subjectivity allows insight into the characters’ mind, as the shots flow into one another in smooth coherence. The film is an experience within itself. The pace throughout its entirety and its cinematography allows every single shot to be an engrossing image. This leads to the question of whether the film would give the same experience if the camera techniques had been different. If Drive had consisted of short sharp shots, enhancing the action aspects of its narrative, the film would not have created the same transfixing effect, specifically in the slow burn that is its first half. Overall, the sophisticated style of the filmmaker is one that transforms the world of the film into the immediate world of the audience for its duration.

 

REFERENCE:
Drive (2011) Directed by Nicholas Winding Refn [Film]. USA: FilmDistrict.