A KO Review Grandma Learns to Drive

A KO Review by Emily Mody

Grandma Learns to Drive is a short documentary film directed by Dominique Keller. This film follows Keller’s 86-year-old grandmother while she pursues her lifelong dream of learning to drive. The best way to describe this film would be sweet. It was so sweet it almost made my teeth hurt. With that being said, it was really good. The film promoted the concept that it is never to late to achieve your dreams and I thought that that was really beautiful. The way that the message of the film was conveyed was very skillfully done. It was not cheesy or overly dramatic, it was just a simple story about a normal woman who wanted to learn how to drive. The grandmother was so funny, sweet, and relatable. Her being the subject of the film definitely made it what it is. There was nothing particularly innovative about the way that Grandma Learns to Drive was filmed but that was kind of what made it great. The story was more important than any other aspect of the film. Grandma Learns to Drive is the type of film where if the viewer does not notice the camera then the cinematographer has done their job and that was certainly the case here.

I would compare Grandma Learns to Drive to My Date With Drew directed by Jon Gunn and Brian Herzlinger. My Date With Drew follows Brian while he pursues his lifelong dream of going on a date with Drew Barrymore. Both of these films maintain a very simple story structure. They are both funny, sweet, documentary stories about individuals trying and sometimes struggling to achieve their goals. These are not documentaries that are trying to promote a political message, which is something that I personally really love about the both of them.

I would recommend Grandma Learns to Drive to anyone who is looking for a documentary that has a very simple storyline. This film requires very little from the viewer, so you can just sit back, watch, and enjoy. I would also recommend this film to anyone who has seen and enjoyed My Date With Drew because, as I stated, these films are very similar in style and tone. Grandma Learns to Drive would probably be good for anyone who is looking for a very gentle introduction to the Calgary indie film scene. This is a great place to start before you go see some of the more trippy work that is showcased by some amazing filmmakers around the city. Grandma Learns to Drive runs a total of 12 minutes. This film is appropriate for all audiences so get the family together and bring them all out to see this one because there is definitely something in it for everyone. Grandma Learns to Drive will be premiering as a part of the Calgary Underground Film Festival (CUFF). It will be playing on Friday, April 15, 2016 at the Globe Cinema Upstairs at 7:30pm.

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