Drive My Car

In an interview, director Ryûsuke Hamaguchi said that for the film adaptation of a short story from Haruki Murakami’s story collection ‘Men Without Women’, he found it important to convey the emotional core of the story. In this three hour film, he takes his time to do so, but he manages very well. These three hours are filled with moments of intense beauty, reflection, loss, absence and sadness.

Theatre director Yûsuku Kafuku is happily married to Oto, when suddenly tragedy strikes. Overcome with sadness, Kafuku tries to fathom the secret he discovered just before she passed away. Two years later, the still mourning Kafuku decides to accept the offer to direct a play in Hiroshima. His new employer arranges a chauffeur to drive him around Hiroshima in a red Saab 900. The chauffeur, Misaki, has perfect driving skills but keeps very much to herself. While they spend time driving around together and get to know each other better, Kafuku unravels his wife’s mystery which is still haunting him.

The scenes between Yusuke and his quiet chauffeur Masaki are extremely intriguing. The intimate space of the car, the interactive listening of texts from ‘Uncle Vanya’ and the charged silence are fascinating. At first, it seems as if not much is happening. On second thought, however, there is so much going on. The car rides show emotional immobility and stagnation and reveal a slumbering sadness, desperately hidden behind that painful mask.

‘Drive my Car’ is a sensitive drama which has been filmed very conscientiously and where the acting is emotionally restrained. Besides themes such as remorse, grief and love, literature and theatre also play a big part in the film.