It’s the weekend again, and that means Film Focus. Here’s Mike Laidman with what’s new in local theaters.

It’s a mere day before Halloween, but there is still a complete dearth of scary movies in theatres. Sometimes traditional Halloween fare takes a few extra weeks, if not months, to open up here, so don’t lose hope just yet; there will be opportunities for a scare coming sometime!

In the meantime, though, we’ll have to make due with a movie about being turned into an animal if you don’t find love. That’s a least a little scary, right?

But first, a romantic comedy about driving. Some Halloween this is...

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Mike Laidman

Welcome to another edition of Film Focus. I’m Mike Laidman.

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Learning to Drive (2015, Isabel Coixet)
A writer takes driving lessons from a Sikh instructor.

Learning to Drive is the kind of romantic comedy that lures you in with the promise of some laughs and a bit of consolation if your own love life is in the dumps. These movies usually aren't all that impressive and don’t leave an impression. Learning to Drive has a bit more clout, though.

Wendy is a middle-aged book critic who is shattered when her husband Ted leaves her. In order to visit her daughter, who lives a ways away, Wendy begins taking driving lessons from Darwan an American citizen originally from India who makes a living as a cabbie and giving driving lessons. The two strike-up a friendship that helps her learn to take control of her life, and him adjust to his new life after an arranged marriage.

Stars Patricia Clarkson and Ben Kingsley provide strong performances, over top of what is a fairly predictable plot. Learning to Drive is a story of companionship, loneliness, resilience. It's small and artfully crafted, but resonates in some big ways.

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The Lobster (2015, Yorgos Lanthimos)
Single people must find a romantic partner at The Hotel in 45 days.

The Lobster is by no means a scary movie, but its plot is undoubtedly a little...strange…

In a dystopian near future, single people, according to the laws of The City, are taken to The Hotel, where they are obliged to find a romantic partner in forty-five days or be transformed into beasts and sent off into The Woods.

As strange as it is thrillingly ambitious, The Lobster is definitely an acquired taste. It’s a bit of everything - at times hilarious, especially in its first half-hour or so. Sometimes it's deeply disturbing and occasionally thought-provoking. For viewers with the fortitude to wade through the director’s offbeat humour and style, it should prove to be a savoury cinematic treat.