Wendy's (Patricia Clarkson) husband has left for another woman after over twenty years of marriage. She had led a seemingly emancipated life of a modern woman up to that point: a family, a daughter in college, a big house in Manhattan, and a career as a literary critic that made her more successful than her husband. Nonetheless, her self-image falters after the divorce. To counteract her dreary state, she decided to learn how to drive, something that hindered her autonomy while she was married. Instead of therapy there are driving lessons. Her driving teacher’s advice seem to influence her life in multi-faceted ways. Ultimately, it seems like she replaced her husband with another man who tells her what to do.

Isabel Coixet’s film is based on a 2002 New Yorker essay by the same name written by US feminist Katha Pollit. The driving teacher is Filipino in the original story whereas in the film he is an Indian by the name of Darwan (Ben Kingsley). Two people with very different concepts of marriage encounter one another. Wendy’s love marriage has failed and the arranged Indian marriage is on its last legs due to a lack of affection. The director refrains from showing an allegiance to a lifestyle choice by choosing to end the film with an obligatory happy ending, yet LEARNING TO DRIVE does advocate for more spirituality in our modern society.

Nina Linkel

Translation: Elinor Lewy