"Driving Not Knowing" is a film Philly-born and Philly-bred. Written and directed by 3 Penn '14 grads (Dane Mainella, Dylan Hansen-Fliedner, and Jay Jadick) and a Temple '14 grad (Benjamin R. Davis), the movie follows the lives of three young people over the course of a dramatic weekend in the woods where they try to figure out their lives.
The main focus is on two young musicians: Lee who is openly gay and clearly in love with Will, who is struggling with his sexuality. The two have an intense relationship while trying to jumpstart their music careers, but then go their separate ways for a year before reconvening with their good friend Jo in Lee's hometown for a weekend. Secrets come out as the audience sees Will become overtly jealous of Lee's new band, and it's revealed that Lee's addiction to Will has turned into an addiction to drugs.
According to their Kickstarter (hello 21st century filmmaking), the movie is semi-autobiographical of the writers and directors, which suggests a tendency for self-indulgent sequences, but also a tendency for moments of true clarity in the dialogue.
The movie essentially looks to delve into the niche struggles of sexually tortured and deeply artistic young people. The trailer relies on some cliches: unexplained shots of people with guns, protests of people saying they "shouldn't" be kissing someone, and drugs, a lot of drugs. There also clear cameos from the main room in Kelly Writers and dear old West Philadelphia. Overall, though, the narrative promises complexities about close friendships, aspiring dreams, and the devil in drug addictions.
There is promise here from these young and budding filmmakers. The nostalgic tones of the film are bound to ring true for anyone who generally feels aimless after college, and that in itself is worth giving the film a genuine chance.
Well, that, and our Quaker spirit. Go team.
