On March 25 — less than a year after her debut album “SOUR” — pop sensation Olivia Rodrigo premiered “driving home 2 u,” a documentary exclusively on Disney+ that uncovers the journey behind Rodrigo’s record-breaking debut. 

Perfectly encapsulating the raw emotion that inspired Rodrigo to write “SOUR,” “driving home 2 u” adds an additional layer of depth to the album, as the documentary details the 11 vulnerable backstories behind the album’s tracks. 

One of the most prominent themes present within “SOUR” is heartbreak, as well as the feelings of inferiority and insecurity that arise during the aftermath of a breakup, which is demonstrated in four of the album’s five singles. However, her most impactful lyrics are in ‘favorite crime,’ which is one of the six tracks that is not a single.

“In order to get over a heartbreak, I think you have to forgive the person who caused you pain, but I also think a big part of it is forgiving yourself,” Rodrigo said in the documentary. “I really like the lyric ‘One heart broke / Four hands bloody.’ Having the blame be on two people — heartbreak is a two-way street. You couldn’t have gotten your heart broken if you didn’t put yourself in the position to be hurt. I think writing this song sort of helped me forgive myself.”

Rodrigo’s most defining characteristic has always been in her transparency and vulnerability in acting and songwriting. With its truthful backstories and vulnerable insights, “driving home 2 u” only further establishes this identity for the singer. 

The documentary also features snippets of unreleased tracks, such as the original demo of “drivers license” and the two unreleased songs “crying in the parking lot” and “baby is u,” which only enrich the emotional appeal of the documentary. 

However, “driving home 2 u” could have been significantly more impactful with the full versions of these songs, especially with the original demo of “drivers license.” Though the audience enjoys a remixed version of the same songs that are featured on “SOUR,” as well as the songs’ backstories, the relatively new content within the documentary is at a minimum, decreasing the musical novelty present within the film. 

That being said, “driving home 2 u” excels in deepening the publicly-accepted narrative behind “SOUR,” thus introducing a new perspective that listeners can now have when listening to the album. Ultimately “driving home 2 u” flawlessly delivers the emotion that any documentary featuring Rodrigo should promise. 

4.5/5