Drive My Car Review: Hamaguchi's Award-Winning Drama Is Rich & Exalting
Soft-spoken and bittersweet, Drive My Car is a poignant drama unlike any other. Directed and co-written by Ryusuke Hamaguchi, the 2021 film is the story of one man's immense loss and the road he must travel as the one left behind. Hamaguchi's film is transcendent; the direction strips away the screen, inviting the viewer to share — and almost participate — in the onscreen events. The hauntingly beautiful Japanese drama takes audiences on an unforgettable journey alongside protagonist Yūsuke Kafuku (Hidetoshi Nishijima), sharing in his experiences of love, loss and acceptance.
Drive My Car is an engaging film that tells an unconventional tale of kinship and self-discovery. The screenplay is based on Haruki Murakami's short story of the same name, from his collection Men Without Women. The protagonist is actor and theater director Yūsuke Kafuku — likely a reference to Franz Kafka (Murakami also wrote the novel Kafka On The Shore, which is a more overt nod to the influential writer). Yūsuke is a tortured artist. He channels his pain into his art, producing and starring in tragic plays like Samuel Beckett's Waiting For Godot and Anton Chekhov's Uncle Vanya. Yet, he drifts through life utterly reticent, stoic to the point of being disconnected from the world around him.
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Initially, Drive My Car hits the beats typical of a marriage-based drama. Yūsuke loves his wife, Oto (Reika Kirishima), but the two are emotionally distant. They lost their young daughter some years ago, which may have caused the initial rift in their relationship. However, their problems are made worse by Yūsuke's lack of engagement. In a memorable scene, he walks in on Oto with a
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