“I’m not claiming to be some Sherlock or something, just a guy who pays attention.”

Clark

A bottle movie set inside a New York cab on a single night time journey from the airport, writer-director Christy Hall’s terribly titled debut is an acting showcase for Dakota Johnson and Sean Penn as their characters discuss emotive aspects of their lives and relationships. Hall’s script is thoughtful if not deeply insightful, capturing the kind of late-night conversation that I love and the honesty that can emerge between total strangers. The driver is perceptive but not artificially erudite, often vulgar in expressing his cynical worldview. His customer is sweet and smart, yet seems wearier than the older man. Most impressive is the camera work within such tight confines, using the glass and lighting to place the viewer inside the cab — one shot frames Johnson’s face perfectly through the open partition, while keeping Penn in view. The characters are well matched, each able to make the other uncomfortable and frequently the camera captures these reactions rather than remaining on the speaker. It is these features of the film making, rather than the characters or their insights, that draw in the audience and makes me curious to see where Hall goes from here.

7/10