By Ana Salgado and Jessica Cuevas, Apr. 19, 2022
Grab your driver’s license and let’s hit the road with Olivia Rodrigo. On March 25, the young American singer-songwriter, most known for her hit single “driver’s license,” released her first documentary on Disney+ “Olivia Rodrigo: driving home 2 U (a SOUR Film).”
Giving tribute to her debut album, “SOUR,” that topped charts following its 2021 release, the film allowed her fans to hop in the passenger’s seat from Salt Lake City to Los Angeles. The film provided a behind the scenes experience while revisiting songs from her album “SOUR” and specific times in her life.
The film lasted for an hour and 16 minutes as Rodrigo introduced a new way of keeping her fans who might not have the opportunity to join her on tour pleased.
The album titled “SOUR” described the bittersweet feeling where a young woman is navigating a sentimental part of her life as a new person.
While on the road, Rodrigo drives her supporters in her welcoming vintage Ford Bronco through scenic routes. The visuals for the film highlighted a vintage aesthetic that made the film appealing to the eyes and captured who she is as a person.
Being a vulnerable person isn’t always easy for everyone, especially when people look up to you and see how far you’ve come. Rodrigo shows the audience that through her lyrics every emotion is valid. The emotions on her lyrics unfold onto the screen, coping with intimate past actions in relationships and foreshadowing heartbreak.
Rodrigo explained in the film how each song was driven by her emotions and stated, “It felt like I was creating a friend for myself.” She learned how to have thick skin and tell people what had been going on in her mind and heart through her music.
While Rodrigo performed most of her songs from the album, but what stood out was when she opened up about her struggles with insecurities. She was obsessed with social media and mentioned she wanted to be part of that crowd. This scene leads to her next song she wrote called, “jealousy, jealousy.”
It was compelling to see how Rodrigo performed in different locations of where she wrote the song. Each song had their own uniqueness when performing; with “good 4 u,” Olivia performed in Arizona out in the desert with an orchestra behind her; sounding angelic yet edgy at the same time.
Rodrigo describes “good 4 u” as witty and funny while having a little bit of anger. Rodrigo ends her road trip at Malibu Beach on a wholesome note with one final song “hope you’re ok.”
Overall, the film felt comforting. Knowing that we as the audience can relate and connect to her music is something that Rodrigo as an artist has beautifully executed.
“Olivia Rodrigo: driving home 2 U (a SOUR Film)” is now available to stream on Disney+.
Feature image by Sharon Wu.
