Self-Driver Review – Riveting, Engrossing, Attention-Grabbing

Details

Category: Haute This Issue

Published on Tuesday, 15 April 2025 13:10

Written by Janet Walker

Self-Driver, from Cinephobia Releasing, brings to the screen a well-written, and engaging dark story as a ride-share driver is approached with the opportunity to boost his earnings simply by joining an exclusive ride share service.

The film begins with our driver, D, played by Nathanael Chadwick, stopping for a break. During this time, he receives two calls, one from the landlord, which we see on his phone's ID he does not want to speak with and his wife. We see on the phone screen they have just had a baby. He explains, as much as he would like to be home with them, it is Friday, and this is when he pulls in the most money.

Borrowed Time: Lennon’s Last Decade Review – Deeply Insightful, Emotional, A Must See

Over the course of the next few minutes, the film is a blur of passengers, some complain, no water in the back seat, no hand sanitizer, an airport pick-up, Bro, played by Reece Presley, asks the usual employment related questions, is this your thing? What are the perks? And then explains, for what you do now, this company will guarantee high payouts each night. As he is heading into the night hours, a fare pukes in his car, and so he loses time as he needs to clean the car and make it ridable for the next fare.

Like all ride-share services, D is taken off the app after a certain time limit and told to rest. The business card falls back into his lap from the visor, and he decides to give it a try.  He meets back up with Bro, his airport fare, who explains the rules of the service must be followed explicitly, to the letter, any deviation and the service will deduct penalty fees.

Seems easy enough, so D accepts the fare, and he immediately takes a wrong turn, essentially fails to listen to the app, and a penalty fee is assessed to his as yet, non-existent earnings, and again he makes a wrong turn, so by the end of this first fare, he has lost the full fare in penalty fees but gained an equal amount as a sign in bonus. So, he comes out even.

Audrey’s Children Review – Inspirational, Heartwarming, A Must See

Another rule is that every job must be accepted. His second fare, The Cuckoo, played by Christian Aldo, is a chatterbox, and another rule of the company is to never speak to the clients. By this time, D, understands the rules are simple, follow the app directions, don't talk, and the fare will be deposited nightly.  The Cuckoo, however, wants to talk, and deliver his philosophies on life, on careers, on why D is the driver, and he is the passenger, more than simply talking, The Cuckoo has committed a crime, and is now desperate to give D specific directions, outside of those provided by the app. By the end of the fare, he tosses D a package of what he calls an adrenaline boost, in case he gets tired later, and another package.

As the night progresses, the fares become the after dark degenerates, the fare, played by Harold Tausch, who pays extra for stranger masochism, and the final fare of the evening a partner team who procures women by drugging them, and selling them.

Throughout all this, D has decided he is tired, so he eats the sugar cube The Cuckoo gave him. Of course, not a candy coated shot  of adrenaline, but a sugar cube of LSD, so now, as D is driving the freaks around, the light poles are waving as he passes by, and in his effort to rescue the women from enslavement, the ground has somehow dropped feet below his vehicle and the fall would surely injury him, so he is stuck in his car, talking to his air vent who is chastising him from not acting responsibly and saving the women.

The Penguin Lessons Review – An Enjoyable Dramady, Heartwarming, Inspirational

This leads to a climatic ending. Self-Driver is a modern twist on the if it seems to good to be true it probably is and a cautionary tale to gig economy workers on the pestilence that walks on two feet through the night.  

For a low budget, Self-Driver is engrossing, with resonating and comical moments, especially early on, when he is trying to stop the automated voice customer service cycle and speak to a representative, it is a relatable moment. The fast-paced film moves quickly, and as the story moves into the nighttime hours, none of the fare vignettes are surprising. In our modern age of ride share apps, Self-Driver, is a must see.

Gripping and riveting, Self-Driver is available on VOD May 8, 2025. See it.

Any Day Now Review – Directorial Debut Delivers Entertaining, Amusing High-Jinks

Country: U.S.

Language: English.

Runtime: 90 minutes.

Director: Michael Pierro.

Producer: Kire Paputts, Michael Pierro.

Writer: Michael Pierro.

Cast: Nathanael Chadwick, Reece Presley, Lauren Welcher, Call Filippov, Christian Aldo, Harold Tausch, Adeela Hossenbux, Lindsay Ivan, Selena Kang, Melanie Lachman, Melissa Melottey.

Janet Walker is the publisher, founder, and sole owner of Haute-Lifestyle.com. A graduate of New York University, she has been covering international news through the Beltway Insider, a weekly review of the nation's top stories, for more than a decade.  A general beat writer/reporter and entertainment/film critic, she is also an accomplished news/investigative news/crime reporter and submitted for Pulitzer Prize consideration "Cops Conspire to Deep Six Sex Assaults" in the Breaking News Category and was persuaded to withdraw the submission. Ms. Walker has completed five screenplays, "The Six Sides of Truth," "The Assassins of Fifth Avenue," "The Wednesday Killer," "The Manhattan Project," and the sci-fi thriller "Project 13: The Last Day." She is completing the non-fiction narrative, "Unholy Alliances: A True Crime Story," which is expected to be released in early 2025. She is a member of the Los Angeles Press Club, the National Writers Union, and a former member of the International Federation of Journalists.