Popular reviews

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  Review by Explorer Of Movies ★★★★★ 2

  * Really great movie. It manages to say profound things about childhood, middle age and old age (thus covers the whole human life) in just 1 hour and 23 minutes running time. And it manages to do so while also telling a brilliant story filled with brilliant details. And it is very entertaining. Isn't that just phenomenal?

  * I have never seen a movie which uses two characters who are dead so effectively for the story. They are made to seem alive by the outstanding writing. Thus it also says profound things about death. So for anyone who is keeping score, that is whole human life and death covered meaningfully. What more can a movie do?

  * Though this point…

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  Review by Paul Elliott ★★★★ 2

  Nominated for the Best First Screenplay and Best Female Lead (for Hong Chau) at the 35th Film Independent Spirit Awards, Driveways is a skillfully constructed and well-calibrated drama from director Andrew Ahn which discovers a pensive sadness in daily mundanity. Collaboratively written by Hannah Bos and Paul Thureen, who have previously written together for television, it's both seductive and spellbinding. It displays their attention to dialogue as well as their talent for allowing moments to evolve patiently, and the cinematography of Ki Jin Kim is graceful in conveying their sentimentalities.

  The film remains restrained throughout, and director Andrew Ahn shows good judgement in circumventing embellishments and by preserving the minor tones of the screenplay. The competent and diverse cast skillfully…

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  Review by adrian ★★★★★

  Cut from fabrics similar to Kogonada's Columbus—in its tenderness, its minimalism, its tinge of pathos.

  The three wonderful leads carry Driveways with grace; the synergy and empathy between them will prompt you to reflect on life and its small but impactful happenings (that Best First Screenplay nomination is well deserved).

  Every smile this film brought to my face caused heartache; it's so delicate, precious, and quietly moving.

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  Review by Laura ★★★★ 2

  often reminded me of agnès varda in the best possible ways on a rewatch, in how she too loves every single person she films & is able to capture something true without intruding.

  it’s actually kind of staggering how driveways is able to see the struggles that appear in every stage of life in such a short runtime, without making it feel forced or simplified. and it shows how you can understand what someone is going through before actually reaching that stage yourself, and the ways loneliness ebbs and flows, but how you can never be prepared for when it returns.

  just a very special little gem that feels very thoughtful & full of love.

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  Review by Jordan Horowitz ★★★★

  A really, really good one. Authentic and moving. More like this, please.

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  Review by Darlie Bunkle ★★★★★ 7

  "It's too much"

  Sometimes it feels like getting older just means adding more regrets and sad memories to a pile that threatens to barricade the doors and black out the windows.

  But the smallest kindness can make that pile seem manageable. And having friends around can fill that room instead with light and laughter.

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  Review by kevinyang ★★★½ 1

  As rudimentary as the story is, I was for the most part won over by the grounded performances, beautiful aesthetic, and incredible piano-led score. Shades of Columbus in this, and the comfort and familiarity of the setups and payoffs are more of an asset than a detriment in this case. It's a very breezy runtime, but you still come away affected by the emotional moments in this film. A very pleasant little indie that I'd happily recommend.

  GRADE: B

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  Review by The Reel House ★★★★ 6

  From the opening of the film, when Jay Wadleys sentimental score started, I was hooked. The affectionate score encapsulated the tone of the film and worked on every level. 

  Hong Chau headlines the film and she is brilliant in the role of a mother, who just wants to do right by her son, all the whilst struggling with her intense grief for her recently passed sister. Kathy (Chau) seems cold and distant at first but soon opens up throughout as we find out more about her past and her previous struggles. Chaus performance takes a character who could seem generic if portrayed by a less aspired actress and creates a genuine portrayal of a broken women. 

  Lucas Jaye stars in…

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  Review by Laura ★★★★ 1

  driveways made me question the way i measure all the different aspects of my life; am i happy enough, am i doing enough, am i growing enough?

  growing up in a small town makes you tune into specifics, and you notice every small change. you know when there’s a new neighbor, or when a pet goes missing, or when someone passes away. and living in that way, where nothing escapes you, often makes you question if it’s enough. it seems too small, and like it’s trapping you. it took me a long time to realize that that level of observation is actually a skill, not a nuisance.

  i guess what i’m trying to say is... we always try to find…

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  Review by claira curtis ★★★★½ 2

  “So live, that when thy summons comes to join   
  The innumerable caravan, which moves   
  To that mysterious realm, where each shall take   
  His chamber in the silent halls of death,   
  Thou go not, like the quarry-slave at night,   
  Scourged to his dungeon, but, sustained and soothed   
  By an unfaltering trust, approach thy grave,   
  Like one who wraps the drapery of his couch   
  About him, and lies down to pleasant dreams.” 

  Driveways boasts an exceptional story about the spaces we can still occupy even when we’re no longer present physically. While watching, it almost feels as though you’ve been invited into the homes of the characters to witness their story firsthand rather than…

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  Review by Allison M. 🌱 ★★★ 4

  I'm a crier too.

  Kind of boring and kind of charming, Driveways is a low-budget attempt to show how hard it is for a kid growing up in America. There were some funny lines that the audience didn’t always latch onto; sometimes they did, though.

  People say things, but it doesn't matter.

  Vegan alert:
  -Dead cat in bathtub (offscreen) and thrown out in trash bag
  -Pizza
  -Hot dogs reference

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  Review by Scott Tobias ★★★ 1

  Lovely to see Brian Dennehy go out like this. But man, movies this nice can only take you so far.