Learning to Drive

Learning to Drive is a 2014 American comedy drama film. Directed by Isabel Coixet and written by Sarah Kernochan based on a New Yorker article by Katha Pollitt, the film stars Patricia Clarkson as Wendy, a successful book critic taking driving lessons with instructor Darwan (Ben Kingsley) after the breakup of her marriage to Ted (Jake Weber) forces her to become more self-sufficient. This is the second collaboration between Ben Kingsley, Patricia Clarkson, and Isabel Coixet. The film was named first-runner up for the People's Choice Award at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival. The film was released on August 21, 2015. Plot summary Wendy (Patricia Clarkson) is a known book critic, who has just broken up with her husband, Ted (Jake Weber), during an argument in a bar. Her husband leaves the scene and calls a taxi that is driven by Darwan (Ben Kingsley), who is also an Indian Sikh. When Wendy suddenly jumps in the car, Darwan experiences their anger and heated exchange. The husband has enough of the accusations and sends Wendy home alone in the taxi, so Darwan also witnesses her sadness and regret. Wendy has never needed to drive in New York, but now she needs to learn, in order to visit her daughter Tasha (Grace Gummer) who is living and working on a commune farm in Vermont. Through a series of events, Wendy becomes Darwan's driving student, developing a close friendship in the process, as he is an intellectual and was a teacher back in India.