A burnt out filmmaker finds new inspiration behind the wheel of an iconic New York City taxi cab, exploring a world where he is the stranger and the city his new workplace.After 20 years working on film and series shoots, Benoît Cohen is drained. His enthusiasm gone, a desire to stop writing and put down the camera takes over. In the city for a year, he still wonders about how best to absorb the rich diversity of the cosmopolitan metropolis, settling on a simple idea: he will become a taxi driver.  Behind the iconic Yellow Cab, behind the fantasy of freedom and independence, behind the faces of his thousands of passengers, Benoît discovers a world in which he is a stranger. First, the administrative maze that leads to the taxi driver’s license. Then the world behind the scenes. And, finally, the prejudices that surround the profession and lead the customers, cops and entire city to look at it, quite randomly, either with indifference, kindness, or aggression.  Benoît Cohen dives into his new life with the idea of turning it into a screenplay for a future film, but the material he collects from this social experiment marks him deeply, leading down unsuspected paths. The project transforms into an autobiographical novel interspersed with reflections on the creative process. With the help of Chabouté, it is now a sensitive, deeply human graphic novel, with breathtaking illustrations that pay vibrant tribute to the most famous of American cities. 

French filmmaker Benoit Cohen decided, while doing research for the screenplay of his new movie, to become a taxi driver. After passing his license, he spent several months roaming the five Boroughs behind the wheel of a yellow cab that he rented every morning from a garage in Queens. This book is the journal of his extraordinary adventure - the story of the pursuit of his "American dream." The book also includes Cohen's "on-/off-duty" activities of eating at New York's most famous restaurants and eateries. A directory of those are included in the back.

Benoit Cohen’s Wonderful, with his hymn to life, delicately and lucidly stages an exploration of personal responsibility, and family choices about how people can “exit life” today.Ten years have passed since Benoit Cohen's father's death, but the circumstances of his passing remain deeply painful and complicated. Wonderful is a touching and insightful exploration of some of the hardest questions about life, death, family, and responsibility. Cohen knew he would have to tell his family's story, which took place in Paris, in conjunction with his mother and two brothers. After a devastating cancer diagnosis, his father was terrified of death. His family sought to prevent him from undue suffering or having their actions arouse suspicion. His father's lucidly tenacious, but fundamentally irrational self-denial in the face of a terminal diagnosis, reveals a revelatory chapter in one family's experience with grief, loss, death and dying. With respect and love, Benoit and his family are determined to find a way to help his father depart with dignity and ease. But they come up against the frustrations of a health care system in which palliative care can be difficult to access or is reserved for only a "fortunate" few. Personal choices regarding "right-to-die" issues are legally sanctioned in many countries, whereas in others they are met with the specter of criminality. As they discover, there are few legal options (if any) to explore the path to peaceful exit and relief.

A burnt out filmmaker finds new inspiration behind the wheel of an iconic New York City taxi cab, exploring a world where he is the stranger and the city his new workplace.After 20 years working on film and series shoots, Benoît Cohen is drained. His enthusiasm gone, a desire to stop writing and put down the camera takes over. In the city for a year, he still wonders about how best to absorb the rich diversity of the cosmopolitan metropolis, settling on a simple idea: he will become a taxi driver.  Behind the iconic Yellow Cab, behind the fantasy of freedom and independence, behind the faces of his thousands of passengers, Benoît discovers a world in which he is a stranger. First, the administrative maze that leads to the taxi driver’s license. Then the world behind the scenes. And, finally, the prejudices that surround the profession and lead the customers, cops and entire city to look at it, quite randomly, either with indifference, kindness, or aggression.  Benoît Cohen dives into his new life with the idea of turning it into a screenplay for a future film, but the material he collects from this social experiment marks him deeply, leading down unsuspected paths. The project transforms into an autobiographical novel interspersed with reflections on the creative process. With the help of Chabouté, it is now a sensitive, deeply human graphic novel, with breathtaking illustrations that pay vibrant tribute to the most famous of American cities. 

French filmmaker Benoit Cohen decided, while doing research for the screenplay of his new movie, to become a taxi driver. After passing his license, he spent several months roaming the five Boroughs behind the wheel of a yellow cab that he rented every morning from a garage in Queens. This book is the journal of his extraordinary adventure - the story of the pursuit of his "American dream." The book also includes Cohen's "on-/off-duty" activities of eating at New York's most famous restaurants and eateries. A directory of those are included in the back.

Benoit Cohen’s Wonderful, with his hymn to life, delicately and lucidly stages an exploration of personal responsibility, and family choices about how people can “exit life” today.Ten years have passed since Benoit Cohen's father's death, but the circumstances of his passing remain deeply painful and complicated. Wonderful is a touching and insightful exploration of some of the hardest questions about life, death, family, and responsibility. Cohen knew he would have to tell his family's story, which took place in Paris, in conjunction with his mother and two brothers. After a devastating cancer diagnosis, his father was terrified of death. His family sought to prevent him from undue suffering or having their actions arouse suspicion. His father's lucidly tenacious, but fundamentally irrational self-denial in the face of a terminal diagnosis, reveals a revelatory chapter in one family's experience with grief, loss, death and dying. With respect and love, Benoit and his family are determined to find a way to help his father depart with dignity and ease. But they come up against the frustrations of a health care system in which palliative care can be difficult to access or is reserved for only a "fortunate" few. Personal choices regarding "right-to-die" issues are legally sanctioned in many countries, whereas in others they are met with the specter of criminality. As they discover, there are few legal options (if any) to explore the path to peaceful exit and relief.