Drive My Car

2021

2h 59m

IMDb RATING

7.4/10

1.4K

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Drama

Yusuke Kafuku, a stage actor and director, still unable, after two years, to cope with the loss of his beloved wife, accepts to direct Uncle Vanya at a theater festival in Hiroshima. There he meets Misaki, an introverted young woman, appointed to drive his car. In between rides, secrets from the past and heartfelt confessions will be unveiled.

Directors

Ryūsuke Hamaguchi

Writers

Ryūsuke Hamaguchi(screenplay by)

Takamasa Oe(screenplay by)

Haruki Murakami(short story by)

Stars

Hidetoshi Nishijima

Toko Miura

Masaki Okada

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Videos15

Photos134

Top cast

Yūsuke Kafuku

Misaki Watari

Kōshi Takatsuki

Oto Kafuku

Lee Yoo-na

Gong Yoon-su

Janice Chang

Ryu Jong-ui

Roy Rossello

Yuzuhara

Yumi Etô

Takashi Kimura

Kaoru Komagata

Directors

Writers

Ryūsuke Hamaguchi(screenplay by)

Takamasa Oe(screenplay by)

Haruki Murakami(short story by)

All cast & crew

Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

User reviews2

Review

Featured review

10/10

I find this film to be a near perfect drama. I understand that most Americans and perhaps younger viewers everywhere will not appreciate the pacing of the movie. There are two things about this movie that make it an actor's movie. First is the play within the play: the play within is Chekhov's Uncle Vanya, and, like most Russian classics, it's about the human condition and the response to suffering. It's the play within the play because the film slowly reveals a mirror of Chekhov's play itself. Second, some playwrights have the gift of writing dialog that leaves the real storytelling to the unspoken dialogue - Shakespeare, Pinter, Stoppard - they all had this gift, and I nominate Hamaguchi to this list. It is amazing to watch this kind of production because it only survives with the richness and depth of the acting. It is the sole reason that theater companies can do these kind of plays and each version is completely unique. Even if you are not aware of this aspect of a play, Lee Yoo-na (Park Yu-rim) pointed out that her silence allowed her to see the deeper dialogue more clearly. As to the pacing? It's a brilliant reflection of the way Kafuku (Hidetoshi Nishijima) was directing Uncle Vanya.

badelf29 Jun, 2022