Driver (2018)

Directed by: Kenneth Mercken | 96 minutes | drama | Actors: Fortunato Cerlino, Koen De Graeve, Karlijn Sileghem, Loïc Bellemans, Nicola Rignanese, Günther Lesage, Niels Willaerts, Carlo Ferrante, Vladislav Prigunov, Patrick Tuerlinckx, Anton Petrov

If there is one sport that is full of heroism and romance, it is cycling. The great suffering, in the midst of the most beautiful outdoor life. The landscape as art form and trap at the same time. The falls, flat tires and hunger. Like Sisyphus up the mountains and like Icarus down just as fast. In sweltering cold or scorching heat. True heroes are born in that battle against the elements. For the vast majority of the cycling peloton, however, nothing more than the honor of participating. Yet they also toil almost the whole year over the predominantly European roads in the pursuit of that small chance of historical glory.

So is the young Felix Vereecke (Niels Willaerts). Although the 19-year-old has the necessary talent, the road to the top is long. Very long. At the start of the (how could it be otherwise) Flemish ‘Driver’ things still look good for Felix. He becomes national champion with the Belgian promises. A contract as a semi-pro with an Italian team beckons. His genes, father and uncle have also had a creditable cycling career, should give him the last push towards a permanent appointment as a professional driver.

However, the fact that cycling blood flows abundantly in the Vereecke family also has its downside. Felix knows no other life than this. Father Mathieu (Koen de Graeve) makes sure that the boy doesn’t lose his mind on peripheral matters such as girls and going out. After his departure to Italy, it is manager Leone (Fortunato Cerlino) and his staff who keep the reins tight. Everything is in the service of that one goal: a professional career. But the cycling world is tough. The competition with his teammates is hard for the shy boy. The call for stimulants is getting louder and louder. Felix chooses to take the plunge. The boy who was once afraid of needles gradually changes into a man who injects himself with doping with great ease. A quirky water carrier who takes on everything and everyone. His father, the team and especially with himself. However, whoever wants to jump the furthest can fall the hardest.

For example, the portrait of the sport in ‘Driver’ is not only loving, but also shows the dark side of cycling. That is by no means innovative, but by fully responding to the emotion of the protagonist Felix, that does not matter either. When the film describes in dialogue what it is like in sports, the camera zooms in on Felix’s eyes. Interpretation and emotion are cleverly linked, fate is forever linked to cyclism. By focusing on the athlete, and not so much on the sport itself, the film is also interesting for cyclists as a result.

‘Driver’ is helped by the beautiful staging. Director Kenneth Mercken, who based the film on his own childhood experiences, uses a catchy raw camerawork. The beautiful lighting and atmospheric music bring Felix’s trials and tribulations close, just like the compelling dialogues and the engaging acting. The images of the race itself stand out mainly because of the editing. The rapid succession of shots naturally gives a sense of necessity and tension. The heroism and romance of cycling, in all its facets and contrasts, is excellently conveyed in ‘Driver’.