Edgar Wright's Baby Driver is a story about the intrinsic relationship between love and loss, two powerful forces forever intertwined that have far reaching and profound effects on defining both the individual and the human condition itself. Centered around a talented, and young getaway driver by the name of Baby, Edgar Wright's film tells the story of a good soul stuck in a harsh, malevolent world, with our main protagonist being drawn into this environment due to personal, childhood trauma which left him susceptible to being coerced by Doc, a local crime boss. Baby's increasing moralistic reservations about the work he does for Doc is mounting, and when Baby meets the woman of his dreams in Deborah, he sees a chance at leaving this lifestyle behind, with his love for Deborah triggering the first semblance of hope Baby has had for happiness since the tragic death of his mother. A film which effectively defies traditional genre classifications, Edgar Wright's Baby Driver is an action film by way of the Hollywood Musical, a sensory experience in which sound design and music are paramount to telling this tale of loss, love, and rebirth. Everything about Baby Driver is told through the lens of our main protagonist Baby, a quiet young man whose attachment to music stems from his mother's death. The movie itself is set to the personal soundtrack of Baby's ipod, with Edgar Wright's use of sound design throughout being what stands out the most about Baby Driver, with the film routinely juxtaposing Baby's various playlists with the action of the environment he inhabits, even mixing the soundtrack of the film directly into the action, providing not only a visceral experience, but also one that is wholeheartedly through the perspective of Baby. This interlacing of Baby's soundtrack with the action going around him provides a window for the viewer into the eyes of our main protagonist, showing us exactly how he this character sees the world he inhabits. While the general arch of the story is nothing we haven't seen before, Wright's treatment of the material makes the whole film feel so unique and singular, a one-of-kind experience perhaps best described as a cohesion of the action, romance, and musical genres. While the film is unable to avoid various narrative tropes completely, Edgar Wright's Baby Driver does seem to own them head-on, with Baby Driver being a film that is unapologetic about the romantic thrust of its story, unconcerned about the believability of Baby and Deborah's quick, sweeping romance, intent on telling a story of one character's journey from loss to rebirth through love. Thematically speaking, the powerful effect in which love can have over all of us is perhaps one of the film's most interesting assertions, with every character in the film eventually driven by their love for another, with Baby himself eventually freeing himself from his complacent life through the love he gains for Deborah. Even in this harsh, shady world with Baby inhabits, the hardened characters who surround him themselves are still slaves to the forces of love and loss, with Jon Hamm's character in particular being a good example, an individual who goes through a drastic transformation, triggered by a loss of someone he himself cares about. The only exception to this role is Jaime Foxx's character, a menacing, malevolent presence, a character who is completely void of empathy or love, a character who effectively becomes a clever distraction to who becomes the true threat of the film to Baby, Hamm's character who has something he cares about taken from him. A story of rebirth, Edgar Wright's Baby Driver is a slick, singular experience that is both highly entertaining and quietly introspective, tapping into fundamental nature and power of love, showcasing the profound impact both love and loss can have on all individuals.
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AuthorLove of all things cinema brought me here. Archives
June 2023
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