Don't be put off by the title, which is bland and unintentionally deceitful. Pay no attention, either, to over-simplified summaries: road movie, black comedy, that sort of thing. Driving Mum is a clever, imaginative film that flickers in the light of various genres but develops its own distinctive character.
The leading man, hirsute, taciturn and unworldly, is heroic. His dog, Brezhnev, easily justifies third place on the credits, after Mum, the stiffness of whose performance makes her a candidate for Best Supporting Actress.
The film successfully negotiates the line between eccentricity and silliness. Characters, scenes and events teeter at the far edge of implausibility but never topple over. Shot in monochrome - perhaps to establish dreary Icelandic credentials - it is often starkly beautiful, and the supporting cast adds colour.
Towards the end the sequence of events turns into a plot with a dramatic twist, but it's barely necessary. The film is so well put together that it might end satisfactorily at any one of three or four points. Driving Mum is a rare treat, reminiscent at times of Peter Greenaway.
The leading man, hirsute, taciturn and unworldly, is heroic. His dog, Brezhnev, easily justifies third place on the credits, after Mum, the stiffness of whose performance makes her a candidate for Best Supporting Actress.
The film successfully negotiates the line between eccentricity and silliness. Characters, scenes and events teeter at the far edge of implausibility but never topple over. Shot in monochrome - perhaps to establish dreary Icelandic credentials - it is often starkly beautiful, and the supporting cast adds colour.
Towards the end the sequence of events turns into a plot with a dramatic twist, but it's barely necessary. The film is so well put together that it might end satisfactorily at any one of three or four points. Driving Mum is a rare treat, reminiscent at times of Peter Greenaway.