Focus on Nicolas Winding Refn – Pusher & Drive
In 2026, it will be exactly thirty years since Pusher was shown in cinemas, and to mark the occasion Cinecitta is kicking off the new year with three screenings of the film. The year 2026 brings yet another milestone for director Nicolas Winding Refn: Drive, the film often considered his magnum opus, will turn fifteen. This film will also be shown three times in January.
Only 25 years old and, in his own words, “stubborn as hell,” Nicolas Winding Refn made his name overnight in 1996 with Pusher. Two years earlier, he had secured a coveted spot at the Danish film school—something many only dream of. But the school presented him with an ultimatum: continue his studies or make his own film using the small budget he had saved up. Refn chose the latter, and the rest is history.
As Pusher star Mads Mikkelsen put it: “He was the first person ever to say no thanks to the film school. Everyone would give their right arm to get in there, but he chose to make Pusher on his own.”
The decision to make Pusher entirely independently, combined with his bold cinematic choices, turned the Danish film landscape upside down. Refn showed that polished cinema was less important than raw, immediate filmmaking. It marked the beginning of a career defined by idiosyncrasy and fearlessness.
Pusher
Drug dealer Frank lives through the worst week of his life when a heroin deal goes wrong and he ends up owing a large sum of money to Balkan drug boss Milo. Frank struggles to pay back the debt as the pressure from the ruthless crime lord only intensifies. His growing desperation spirals out of control as nothing goes according to plan.
Pusher was made on an extremely low budget, using handheld cameras, natural light, and hardly any music. Refn wanted the viewer to feel as if they were right in the middle of the chaos of Copenhagen’s criminal underworld. The result was a film so raw and realistic that, after its premiere, persistent rumors circulated that the largely unknown cast had actually used drugs on set. Pusher felt lifelike, unfiltered, and dangerous.
Tickets Tuesday 6 January, 7:00 PM; Friday 9 January, 8:30 PM; and Friday 23 January, 7:00 PM.
Drive
After Pusher, Nicolas Winding Refn remained true to his own style. The hardness and uncompromising edge were still there, but with Drive he added new elements: more stillness, more slowness, and a quiet observer instead of a brutally tough protagonist. The biggest change, however, lies in the use of color. While Pusher was raw and gritty, using natural light and an almost documentary-like harshness, Drive embraces stylization. The colors are saturated, the lighting is artificial, and every shadow feels carefully placed. Where his debut observes reality, Drive seems to dream it.
Refn is color-blind and has difficulty distinguishing certain mid-tones, which leads him to choose strong contrasts, deep shadows, and saturated neon colors that he can perceive clearly. The result is a visual style that is both personal and instantly recognizable, reflecting the way he sees the world.
Drive centers on a Hollywood stunt driver, a loner by nature, who moonlights as a getaway driver in the criminal underworld. He incurs the wrath of one of L.A.’s most dangerous men after helping the ex-con husband of his beautiful neighbor with a job that goes disastrously wrong. The only way to protect her—and stay alive—is to do what he does best: drive.
Tickets Saturday 10 January, 8:30 p.m., Sunday 18 January, 4:00 p.m., and Friday 30 January, 7:00 p.m.
