A One Mann’s Movies review of “Self Driver” (2025).
I sometimes get sent ‘screeners’ for films from up and coming film-makers. They often have a dodgy script and/or dodgy cinematography and/or dodgy sound and/or dodgy acting. “Self Driver”, which I don’t believe has yet had a solid distribution deal for either cinemas or streaming in the UK, has none of those issues. In fact, in its mixture of gripping storytelling and artfully chosen shots, it reminded me of early Spielberg. Which might make editor-turned-director Michael Pierro a name to definitely watch out for in the future.
Bob the Movie Man Rating:
“Self Driver” Plot:
‘D’ (Nathanael Chadwick) is a ‘ride-hailing’ driver (for a company like Uber, Lyft, etc, but not) with a wife and young child. He is struggling to make ends meet but hiding his financial difficulties from his other half. During one particularly abuse-filled and vomit-soaked evening of driving, he gets approached by a customer called Nic (Adam Goldhammer) with an offer to join a new type of ‘ride-hailing’ company called Tonomo: one that offers far more lucrative earning-potential. But you’ve heard the saying “it’s too good to be true” haven’t you?
Certification:
UK: NR; US: NR. (The film has not beeing rated by either the BBFC or the MPAA, but I would reckon it would be rated a 15/R for language and dark themes.)
Talent:
Starring: Nathanael Chadwick, Adam Goldhammer, Catt Filippov, Christian Aldo, Reece Presley, Lauren Welchner.
Directed by: Michael Pierro.
Written by: Michael Pierro.
Running Time: 1h 30m.
“Self Driver” Summary:
Positives:
- A novel storyline that kept me thoroughly engaged throughout.
- Well acted, especially by Nathanael Chadwick in the lead.
- Great cinematography.
- Some unusual atonal, chanting music in the finale.
Negatives:
- I wanted more music than I got.
- An end-title is clunky.
Review of “Self Driver”:
A topical jaunt into the downside of the gig economy.
What would you do if you were offered a ‘side-hustle’ that paid brilliantly but which you knew might end up on the wrong side of the law? That’s effectively the conundrum that is put on the shoulders of our protagonist ‘D’ who is financially up against the wall. His predicament is nicely painted by writer/director Pierro in a ‘show don’t tell’ manner: D’s phone lights up with incoming harrassment from “Landlord (NO!)” and his wife’s internet has suddenly stopped working (“You did pay the bill didn’t you?”).
Nic’s offer comes as a lifeline to D, who stumbles blindly into the new world like a naive fuckwit. Mind you, haven’t we all just scrolled through 8 pages of contractual garbage on your phone just to click the “I Agree” box on the app?!
When the new job starts we are pitched into a world similar to the recent “Drop“, where ‘the app’ is in charge. But in this game of “Simon Says”, the stake isn’t the imminent murder of your child, but the erasure of your earnings for that job or – worse – the whole night. So, the stakes are less but you feel no less gripped as the viewer of this slow-motion car crash of a night. Much of this is helped along by a really solid and believable performance from Nathanael Chadwick.
Tough jobs.
You know from the money on offer that this is not going to be ‘Easy Money’. I won’t spoil your journey of discovery, but the film deftly ramps up the tension as the jobs become more and more extreme and increasinly less lawful. It’s clever that the film loops back on itself and reintroduces a character – Angel (Catt Filippov) – that D helped, and then let down, earlier in the night.
Some great directorial decisions.
I had a lot of respect for Michael Pierro for some of his directorial decisions made in the film. His camera roves about the streets of Toronto at night, glimpsing a bust up between two lads, a parade of drunk people across a road or the simple marching of people’s feet, like ants, across a crosswalk as deranged psycho ‘The Cuckoo’ (Christian Aldo) rages on about being a cog in the machine.
Pierro is also not afraid of quiet and stillness. In one scene late in the film there is a shot of a rain-soaked parking lot for about 5 seconds longer than is comfortable before a hand suddenly appears and something happens. That takes a lot of maturity for a director to call those shots.
Great cinematography and editing.
Many of these small indie films suffer from cinematography that allows the low-budget to shine through, but here the camera work (also by Michael Pierro!) is really professional. I can only imagine how difficult it is to shoot so much close up work inside the confines of a car like this, but even with those constraints and the low-light conditions, the film looks pretty amazing. Scenes of a drug-induced drive through the city bordered on “2001” stargate visuals at one point.
The editing (by, you’ve guessed in, Michael Pierro!) is also very good leading to a nice pacing throughout the whole film. (This aspect is less surprising, since that is Pierro’s ‘day job’).
The music had its ups and downs.
The music was by Michael Pierro…. no, only kidding. The man clearly knows his limits. The music is actually by Antonio Naranjo and, particularly in the finale of the film and the end titles, is very effective: a rhymical drum beat with wild atonal chanting going on in the background. Where I had more difficulty was in the rest of the film where I felt some additional music would have added more atmosphere: some of the scenes felt a bit flat.
“THE END”
There was really only one point in the film that made me go “Ugh!”. And that was at the end (oh Michael… you got so close!). Just when I wanted a final contemplative shot of D; the screen turn to black; and the end titles roll, we got a GINORMOUS graphic saying “THE END” come up (see below). “HELLO? THE 1940’S CALLED AND WANT THEIR END TITLES BACK!”. I really found it crass and annoying given the quality of the rest of the film.
Summary Thoughts on “Self Driver”
I found this a really fine surprise. A tight, 90-minute thriller that actually intrigued and actually thrilled. Given it’s technial aspects, it would not look amiss among one of the Black Mirror series.
I note that it does seem to be getting a limited release in the Everyman Edinburgh TOMORROW (29th April) as a part of the SI-FAN Film Festival 2025. The PR company has advised me that it is scheduled for US release on June 6th. On that date, it will also be available on Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video, and other TVOD services.
Where to Watch it (Powered by Justwatch)
At the time of writing, the film is not available on the “Justwatch” database.
Trailer for “Self Driver”:
The trailer is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=onw4dqr-O_A.
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