sent from: London, UK. destination: Los Angeles, California, USA

While in India, I would think of going home, and the place that first came to mind was Los Angeles. I had to work to tell myself that London is my home now. Perhaps that’s why I tuned in so readily to the film “Drive“, which I watched on the plane home. I loved the pace of the film, its cooler than cool exterior. Like “Heat” and “Collateral”, it’s a film that celebrates the architecture of LA, especially as seen from behind a wheel. Wide roads, the poetry of lights sweeping over you in the dark. It’s a fantasy of LA, a mythic place of empty roads for you and your loneliness. When the film turned violent I couldn’t quite go with it all the way; what was the point of it all that, I wondered? 

Here’s my impression of a typical exchange: 

Ryan Gosling: Stare. Stare. Smile slightly. Nod. Stare. 

Carey Mulligan: Blink. Blink. Blinkblink.