The Ride: Review of a Great Film
By Barbara Kolucki (bakoluck@aol.com)
It is not often that one sees a film a second time and enjoys it even more than the first time. But this was certainly the case when I watched The Ride. This film won a prize at the 2002 Moscow Film Festival supported by Perspectiva and Rehabilitation International. The voting was done by older children and adolescents and this film won first prize. It deserved it.
The Ride, by John Flanders, is a dramatization about a musician who is down and out - the woman he loves walks out on him and he is so depressed that for the first time in 15 years, he walks out right before he is to perform in front of 500 fans. His manager is upset - but to no avail. Jack gets into his car, takes out a map and begins to drive through desolate, beautiful country roads.
After riding a while, Jack stops for gas. He sees someone hitchhiking and yells out to him "Where 'ya headed?" but he gets no reply. He gets back into his car and stops when he sees the man on the side of the road. He asks him if he wants a ride - and we see the man just looking. Finally, Jack opens the car door and the man gets inside. Jack says "I don't pick up hitchhikers anymore. But it is good to have someone to talk to."
After Jack talks to his companion a while, we see the man get out a pad of paper and pen and he writes a note saying that he is deaf. Jack laughs - and asks him if he can read lips. Vincent says yes and Jack learns a bit of finger spelling as they ride along.
The middle of nowhere
The men arrive in a very small town and Jack says that he is going to get a hotel room. He asks Vincent if he would like to stay there too --it will be impossible to get a ride in the middle of the night in the middle of nowhere. At first Vincent says no - he does not trust "city people". Jack says he understands - but that anyone who would pick Vincent up in the middle of the night would most likely not be trustworthy.
Vincent has no money so Jack tells him that he can share his room - and he buys him a meal. At dinner, Jack tells Vincent about the woman who walked out of his life and his own running away from his music and performances. He asks Vincent a few questions about himself - but Vincent is very very reluctant to give away any details about his life.
When asked how long he has been on the road, Vincent writes: "I've been through hell to get here."
The men share the hotel room. Jack watches as Vincent unpacks the little sack he carries - he is very neat and meticulous about his belongings. Vincent goes to take bath and Jack goes outside to play his guitar. When he gets up to stretch, he can see inside the window of the bathroom and is taken aback when he sees a red color in the sink. He looks again and sees Vincent's head and arms dangling out of the bathtub. He panics, runs inside and scares a sleeping Vincent to death! It is Vincent's turn to panic and he runs out of the bathroom to grab his clothes and get out of the hotel room and away from Jack.
Friends again
Before Vincent is able to run off, Jack explains that he get nervous when he saw the red in the sink and thought it was blood. Slowly, Vincent understands and calms down again. He gives him a Band-Aid for the bump he gave Jack when he pushed him out of the way while trying to escape. Jack tells him "You're not the only one who has gone through hell to get here."
In what looks like the next morning, Jack goes out again to play his guitar. Vincent watches. Then he sits down next to Jack and begins to shake something rhythmically in his hand. Jack listens, smiles and then plays his guitar in the same rhythm. It is a beautiful moment in the film.
The men part. But before they do, Vincent takes out his notepad again. He writes "Thank you for The Ride. My friend, smile." Jack gives a still awkward Vincent a hug and as he drives off - they give the thumbs-up sign to each other.
At the end, we see Jack playing again in a performance. The song he sings is about his experience - the experience with Vincent and the experience of running away and coming back. He sings about those who do not speak but nevertheless command attention. One line says: "I'm not the passenger, I am The Ride."
Entertaining and educational
The Ride is a wonderful example of a film that is made with both deaf and hearing people in mind. Every small and big detail ensures that everyone gets the most out of viewing. The captioning, the script, the music, the silence - are superb. It presents two human beings getting to know one another - and one happens to be deaf. Vincent does not trust - and Jack breaks through that barrier. Jack does not care - and Vincent breaks through this barrier. The acting is superb.
In fact, the director, John Flanders, plays Jack. CJ Jones plays Vincent and from the jacket of the video, it seems that he most often plays lighter roles - but he certainly portrays his versatility and professionalism in this film. John Flanders is also responsible for much of the wonderful soundtrack throughout this 28-minute film.
I recommend this film to anyone except very young children. I wish it could be broadcast everywhere.
The production company is:
Rough Pine Productions
http://www.roughpine.com
roughpine@earthlink.net
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