David Kosa

In my former days, Driveways would not have been my slice of pie. All I wanted then was action, conflict and special effects. Give me a beginning, a middle and an end. I would have found Driveways too slow, too boring, and without a destination. Now, I find that Driveways is the type of cinema that I cherish. Maybe I'm just old, but an unfiltered, raw, slice-of-life is something that touches me. And leaves me wanting more. Driveways is a peer into the life of a single mother, Kathy, dealing with the estate of her much-older sister, whom she didn't know well. In tow is her young son, a timid and lonely boy wallowing in the thick treacle of youth. Together, they come to the sister's home to deal with the estate and discard the copious detritus of a lifetime. The story is centered around the boy Cody and the loneliness that envelopes him. They meet a widowed veteran neighbor, Del, who is counting down his remaining days. Slowly, Del opens up to Cody and they become friends. Kudos to Lucas Jaye for giving back to me some of those same emotions that echoed through me as a child. Hong Chau admirably delivers the quiet desperation that burdens all single mothers. At that same time, she wields a stoic strength that only a parent knows. Damn good performance by Dennehy, as he comes to cherish the boy while also acknowledging his own frailty. All of them are stuck in the current of life, each reeling their own eddy as they are swept along together. Driveways has no ending. There is just a close to the chapter. No message to take home. No resolution of all problems. Just life. Life as it is for a boy, a mother and a man. That is what makes this film great.