Drive My Car

Starring: Hidetoshi Nishijima, Toko Miura, Reika Kirishima, Masaki Okada, Park Yu-rim, Jin Dae-yeon, Sonia Yuan, Ahn Hwitae, Perry Dizon, Satoko Abe
Directed by: Ryusuke Hamaguchi
Rating: Unrated
Genre: Drama
2021

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A theater actor/director (Hidetoshi Nishijima) reeling from personal loss accepts a job to put on a production of Uncle Vanya in Hiroshima, Japan.

Review:

Tim: Drive My Car is a quiet, beautiful film from director Ryusuke Hamaguchi. The film is based on a short story by Haruki Murakami, which certainly seems like it provides a strong foundation upon which to build the story out. I'm a fan of Murakami (his 1Q84 is mesmerizing), but I'd never read this short story. I believe Murakami deserves credit for the heart of this story, but the screenwriters obviously deserve great praise for expanding upon that story. I can't think of another instance where a short story was adapted into a 3 hour movie!

Hamaguchi deserves incredible praise, too. He crafts this powerful, subtle, wonderful film that feels like it captures so much of the human experience. The first 40 minutes is basically all prologue- we get to know the main character, Kafuku by seeing several highs and lows of his life. I was a bit stunned when the credits popped up, 40 minutes into the story, but it was brilliantly handled. That's when the true movie begins, but all the scenes prior to that were critical to set the stage for the main story. It helps that those early scenes are riveting, gut-punching with emotion. We see Kafuku at his most vulnerable. We see him happy, devastated, lost, and confused. I was blown away by how Hamaguchi never rushes those early scenes. He allowed them to develop, so that we truly understand and respect this character. However, those first 40 minutes also don't give us all the answers. We have some truly big questions about Kafuku, his life, and certain decisions he makes. Those are all eventually answered in the back half of the film. It's wonderfully done. This movie has done about as good a job of character development as I've ever seen. By the end of these films, these characters feel like living, breathing people who we personally know. That's why this movie is so great.

I loved so much about this film. Having the main character be a theater director was a great opportunity to examine the role of theater in Japan. The cast he assembles is diverse and it was thrilling to see how people who don't speak the same language (or in one case, only sign-language) could come together to tell a story on stage. The movie doesn't shy away from the details of this theatrical production. That gives the film additional context and depth. Sadly, too few American productions would ever willingly dive as deeply as this film does. This is an extremely long movie, but it needed to be. I also loved the scenes throughout Hiroshima. I know that wasn't the original planned location for the film, but it felt appropriate to be set there. The movie embraces this location and it becomes important to the story.

It was also stunning how so many supporting characters got their time in the limelight. Kafuku is undoubtedly our protagonist and we spend the whole movie with him. But, his wife's story is fascinating and she is a character we won't soon forget. His driver in Hiroshima at first seems like she might be a normal side character, but as her story is revealed, she becomes as important as anyone. Her past, the potential for her future is as essential to the film as Kafuku's. I loved how her character's depth was slowly revealed throughout the course of the film. There's also a near-perfect dinner scene that sheds light on other supporting characters. In just a few minutes, Hamaguchi allows us to learn meaningful things about these characters and it's heartwarming and memorable. Koji's character arc is a fascinating one, too. Between his profound conversation with Kafuku in the car, to the surprising event near the end, his journey is so interesting as well. Hamaguchi weaves these intriguing, powerful stories together to show us a glimpse of what life is really like- you have all these people, living their own stories, who converge together. In life, there is no one protagonist, we're all protagonists of our own stories. Hamaguchi treats every character in that way here and it's a revelation.

I've talked about the characters, but I have to praise the cast. Hidetoshi Nishijima gives one of the best performances I've seen in many years. He should have had more international acclaim for his performance. It's so beautiful, so subtly raw and emotional. He may come across as confusingly stoic for much of the film, but it's all intentional. Kafuku feels deeply, but he's learned to bury those feelings. Nishijima conveys all this beautifully- you are drawn to this character, mesmerized by his life and his unexpected reactions and decisions to things. He acts in quiet ways that are so unexpected and it makes his character fascinating. His performance was truly stunning. It's hard to put into words how much I loved it. Toko Miura is likewise so impressive. Her performance is great in a sneaky way. You don't realize how much you've grown to love this character until the end. She says little throughout the film, but the shots of her sitting quietly, driving quietly, while you just know her mind is racing- those are some of the most beautiful, poignant shots of the film. The friendship between Kafuku and Toko is wonderful. The scene of them together in the snow is devastatingly beautiful.

Reika Kirishima's performance is unforgettable and we think about her long after she concludes her scenes in the film. Her voice lingers on in our heads. Masaki Okada may not have been as inherently wonderful as the rest of the cast, but his character gets stuck in your head. I didn't love his performance, but I found myself thinking about it quite a bit. I have no complaints. Park Yu-rim was excellent. From that first scene with the tears, to the end of the film, she makes a powerful impact on us. Jin Dae-yeon quietly gives one of the best performances of the movie. I loved everything he did on screen. His role is smaller and limited, but he makes the movie better with every scene he's in. His performance in bringing this character to life was nearly flawless.

I recognize I'm a bit effusive in my praise, but Drive My Car is an exceptionally great film. Sure, it's very long. The length would give me pause about revisiting it. It probably could have been a bit shorter. However, taken as a whole, Hamaguchi crafts a powerful, gorgeous film about what it means to be human. I was very glad this film won the Academy Award for Best International Film. It's well-deserved. It's a testament to this film that it was also nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay. I think the Academy got a lot wrong in their 2022 ceremony. I won't get into the details, but Drive My Car is a much better film that what won Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay. I'm not suggesting this film should have won all of those, but it's much better than it might seen. I loved this film.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 8



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Tick, Tick...Boom!, C'mon, C'mon, Parasite