As I write this, it is 2005. I saw this movie at the Newport Film Festival in 2001 (?) and I can't seem to forget it (not that I want to).
*** Minor spoilers ***
This gem of a movie takes the viewer on a look of humanity through the experiences of five foreign nationals attempting to get their drivers licenses in Switzerland. While on the surface this description may seem boring to some, the script is anything but. The reason for this is because you aren't just learning how to drive, you are looking at the stories of five different students and their respective instructors. And because of this you start to look at yourself and your fellow human beings.
In one case you see a Swiss instructor, while being a great teacher, has to hide personal issues with the ever increasing number of foreign nationals coming into Switzerland. Conversely you have another instructor, with an Asian background, who amusingly tries to teach the "zen" of driving. But the story that keeps coming back to me and beckons to be viewed again and again is the story of the Portugese woman.
It takes a great craftsman to create a finished diamond out of a seemingly innocuous piece of rock. It takes an equal talent to take a cube of solid marble and turn it into "David" or other masterworks. In film making, in my humble opinion, it takes a great writing/ directing/ editing team to have the vision to take on a banal subject such as teaching five people how to drive and turning it into a film that may leave you with a tear in your eye at the end. "La Bonne Conduite" is just such a film.
*** Minor spoilers ***
This gem of a movie takes the viewer on a look of humanity through the experiences of five foreign nationals attempting to get their drivers licenses in Switzerland. While on the surface this description may seem boring to some, the script is anything but. The reason for this is because you aren't just learning how to drive, you are looking at the stories of five different students and their respective instructors. And because of this you start to look at yourself and your fellow human beings.
In one case you see a Swiss instructor, while being a great teacher, has to hide personal issues with the ever increasing number of foreign nationals coming into Switzerland. Conversely you have another instructor, with an Asian background, who amusingly tries to teach the "zen" of driving. But the story that keeps coming back to me and beckons to be viewed again and again is the story of the Portugese woman.
It takes a great craftsman to create a finished diamond out of a seemingly innocuous piece of rock. It takes an equal talent to take a cube of solid marble and turn it into "David" or other masterworks. In film making, in my humble opinion, it takes a great writing/ directing/ editing team to have the vision to take on a banal subject such as teaching five people how to drive and turning it into a film that may leave you with a tear in your eye at the end. "La Bonne Conduite" is just such a film.
