In Nicolas Winding Refn’s Drive, driving plays a key role in the film as Ryan Gosling’s character is a get away driver for robbers. He tells all of his clients that they have 5 minutes to get back to the car or they are on their own. A huge portion of the film is centered on this part-time secret job of his. However, there are also scenes of him driving into someone else to kill them, like when he hits a car over the cliff and then drowns the man, or when he kills the car that came after him from the pawn shop robbery.
Lastly, there are even scenes of romantic driving, like when he helps Irene out with a ride and takes them to see the L.A. river. Drive would not be Drive without the act of driving. A myth that could be presented in Drive is that Ryan Gosling’s character is a bad guy as he is involved in get away driving and murder. However, he only does the driving portion of robberies and in the end all he cared about was protecting Irene and her son. He has probably only stooped this low as it seems he has no real job and this is necessary for him. The urban environment of Drive is more low class, dangerous, and mysterious.
On the other hand, in the film Mulholland Drive, driving plays a key role because the whole story develops from the point where Camilla survives a car crash. A necessary element of the movie is the fact that Camilla can’t remember who she is after the car crash. A myth presented in Mulholland Drive is that Hollywood is a fake system and the reality produced by that is Diane killing herself as a result of the mental trauma Hollywood had caused her. This relates to the urban environment of glamour, exclusivity, and social climbing as we see how tough it is to actually get to be a part of that luxurious Hollywood and fame and lifestyle.
Ava Ganz 