Learning to Drive

Learning to Drive (2014) was directed by Isabel Coixet. It stars Ben Kingsley as Darwan, a Sikh driving instructor, and Patricia Clarkson as Wendy, whose husband has just left her. Wendy has never learned to drive. (Not driving is fairly common in NYC.) Now she needs to learn how to drive, and she turns to Darwan to teach her.

This is the beginning of a relationship that takes both people down long roads--literally and figuratively. Wendy's rage and frustration are almost palpable, and Darwan has domestic problems of his own.

Clarkson and Kingsley are among the finest actors on the screen today. You expect stellar performances, and that's what you get. It's a pleasure to sit back and see them demonstrate their acting skills.

For some reason, at the time I'm writing this review, the movie has a dismal IMDb rating of 6.6. This doesn't make sense to me. My suggestion is to ignore the rating. We were able to see the movie on the large screen at the excellent Little Theatre in Rochester, NY. However, it will work well on the small screen. Find it and see it. You won't regret it.