Drive - Lilith Likes to Watch

Title: Drive Year: 2019 Starring:  Angela White, Manuel Ferrara, Maitland Ward, Ivy Labelle Director: Kayden Kross Synopsis: Angela displays perfect execution in all aspects of her life until a chance encounter with a stranger makes her to face off against her own sexuality. - Via AdultDVDEmpire.com Lilith's Notes: It won for Best Sex Scene in a Feature Movie and Best Actress at 2020 XBIZ Awards.

"You won't stop me. I won't stop you, either."

I was not looking forward to this film. There is no reason a porno has to be over three hours long. I thought maybe Teenage Lesbian would be the exception that proves the rule.

To begin, the main character, Angela (Angela White), ventures into a fortune teller's space and is told a bunch of things, including that she's never had an orgasm. Offended, she tries to leave but the fortune teller (Maitland Ward) forces her to sit down on a hand mirror and look at herself while Maitland strokes her.

I think they're being too subtle with their message.

This is an interesting idea that I really liked. For a while now there's been a movement for women to explore their bodies over mirrors. To become comfortable with our own bodies, understand our anatomy, and despell shame. Having this idea sort of perverted felt kind of provocative some how. I liked it.

Maitland goes to a sort of sex club I guess where Angela's husband (Manuel Ferrara) is entertained by a stripper (Ivy Labelle) and Maitland. At first Maitland and Angela's husband pet each other while the camera focuses on the stripper. I like this, because we hear Maitland and the husband but see nothing. Eventually all three of them enjoy a threesome.

There's an interesting shot where Maitland and the stripper are fooling around and it's very much in the foreground but the shot is focused on a mirror in the background and it offers a more complete image. It's around then I start to wonder if mirrors are a motif of this movie. I don't think they are.

Why don't you do right, like some other men do?

The threesome is quite enthusiastic and all participants come across as insatiable. No one is sitting around doing nothing. This scene won XBiz's Best Sex Scene. I can see why. It's rough, raw, dirty and unrelenting. Unfortunately it lingers too long. I'm ready to move on about 7 minutes before it finishes itself off.

Later, Angela is found by Maitland again and the two watch two men (Small Hands, Owen Gray) fuck a girl (Brooklyn Gray) in an alley way. This scene starts out typical but what really makes it memorable is Brooklyn Gray spends most of the scene negging the guys, belittling them, and calling herself trash.

Angela goes to her therapist and recounts one time she let herself go, sexually. Jealous of an intern making moves on her husband back when they were still dating, she pretty much commands the two to fuck. She and her husband use the intern as a sex toy. Angela was very dominating and controlled the whole thing. Her presence is extremely intimidating.

Eventually Angela confronts Maitland and is told another truth. Then the movie spirals in to a world of metaphor and fleshy chaos.

Putting words into your mouth.

Orgies happen for like an hour and while it should be meaningful, given what the movie is trying to say, it's just too much. By this point, it all just comes across as sounds and movement. It's not titillating because nothing is given priority or importance. As it continues it just gets more and more depraved until the movie becomes basically a live action hentai with Angela White making real life ahegao faces as she begs for cum and tries to fuck her impulses to satisfaction.


The movie reminds me a lot of Wasteland but where Wasteland's intense orgy of depravity just went on for 20 minutes or so, it felt like it went on forever. These orgies are 4 times longer and feel hopelessly endless. But, I think if you like Wasteland, you'll find a kindred movie in Drive.

Meanwhile, in a Darren Aronofsky film...

The movie looks good, and I hate that it lost Best Art Direction to Captain Marvel XXX. It's stylish and has some basic but thematic editing tricks. There's a segment that's straight out of Requiem for a Dream and a lot of use of visual metaphor. If this movie had an hour or so shaved off it then it could have been really something interesting. It was trying to say something, and that matters, but it was just too indulgent for my liking.

But, I guess in the end, that was the whole point.


Best Moment: The sex scene with the intern.

Worst Moment: The final orgy scene.

LILITH'S SCORE: 3/5

NEXT TIME: The final XBiz Movie of the Year nominee and Bree Mills feature, Perspective.