A Real Hero

College / Electric Youth

I love when an under the radar indie pop tune gets a spotlight — especially when it’s featured in a terrific film.

Somehow DRIVE feels like cinematic art and pure entertainment at the same time. Not many films can walk that tightrope. There’s something about the way Ryan Gosling plays the anti-hero — perhaps because he gets to play more of a hero as the film unfolds. A real hero. 👀

Refn seems to hit the right buttons. So hard to balance the story, tone, cinematography and emotion like he does — especially in a genre film. If you read the actual shooting script, you’ll see how much dialogue he pulled from the film and how he trusted the subtext in the edit.

This film is difficult to forget because of outstanding, grounded performances from Gosling, Carey Mulligan, and Oscar Isaac. And such interesting turns from the off-kilter characters — Albert Brooks, Ron Perlman, Christina Hendricks and Bryan Cranston.

And this song? It’s such a huge centerpiece for the filmmaking — Gosling and Mulligan get to play “family” — soaking up LA — even just for a day. That last shot of Gosling carrying her sleeping son to his bed while she watches him tenderly just kills me. I know and feel that beauty. And I also know it’s peaking…and it would all be taken away in the next hour. 💔🎬