Ryusuke Hamaguchi co-wrote and directed Drive My Car, a 2021 Japanese drama film about the grief of a middle-aged theatre director following the untimely death of his wife.
It is based on Haruki Murakami’s short story of the same name from his 2014 book Men Without Women. It follows Ysuke Kafuku (Hidetoshi Nishijima), who is grieving for his late wife Oto while he directs an international production of Uncle Vanya in Hiroshima.
While competing for the Palme d’Or and three other awards at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival, Drive My Car made its world premiere. A number of critics hailed the picture as one of the finest of the year in 2021.
It was nominated for four Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay, as well as Best International Feature Film at the 94th Academy Awards. Best Picture nomination is the first for a Japanese film. Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film went to this movie.
When it won Best Picture from the three major American cinema critics’ organisations for the first time, it broke new ground (the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, the New York Film Critics Circle, and the National Society of Film Critics).
Cast
- Hidetoshi Nishijima is the actor that portrays Ysuke Kafuku.
- Tko Miura portrays Misaki Watari in the film.
- acting debut of Masaki Okada in the lead role of Kji Takatsuki
- Reika Kirishima portrays Oto Kafuku, the wife of Yusuke.
- Park Yu-rim portrays Lee Yoo-na.
- Jin Dae-yeon portrays Gong Yoon-soo.
- Sonia Yuan portrays Janice Chang.
- Ahn Hwitae plays Ryu Jeong-eui.
- Perry Dizon plays Roy Lucelo.
- Satoko Abe portrays Yuhara in the film.
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The Conclusion of Drive My Car Is Explained
Drive My Car is primarily focused with Yasuke’s production of Anton Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya in Hiroshima, which takes up a large portion of the film’s running duration. It is noteworthy that Yasuke has cast Takatsuki, a volatile young actor who had an affair with Yasuke’s late wife, a screenwriter named Oto, to play the lead character in his new film.
For Yusuke, the theatre company has recruited the mysterious Misaki as a driver, as he has trouble seeing due to his bad vision. Misaki’s mother perished in a landslide, which she blames herself for, in a very heartbreaking sequence at the end of the film.
Unfortunately, Takatsuki has been arrested, so Yasuke must step into the position of Uncle Vanya, which turns out to be a very therapeutic experience for him.
Watching from the sidelines, Misaki is clearly impacted by the performance, which echoes her own feelings and Yasuke’s remorse about the way they handled previous relationships with those close to them throughout the film.
It is revealed that Yasuke is still driving Misaki’s red Saab months after the performance, in the very last scene, which takes place in Korea. Finally, Yasuke has let go of the car that reminded him of Oto, and Misaki has left Japan to start a new life. This is a sign of both finally acknowledging their pasts and moving on.
An Overview of The Plot of “Drive My Car”
Oto Kafuku, a screenwriter, was married to Yusuke Kafuku, a theatre artist and writer. He had this strange knack of grabbing hold of the thread, usually after an interaction with a sexual nature and spinning it into a narrative that was always given the late-night slot on television, as it obliterated the society of its conscience.
The couple was still mourning the death of their son or daughter. According to Yusuke, they had a natural affinity for each other. They found comfort and camaraderie in stories as they worked through their grief.
The Vladivostok Theatre Festival had to be postponed, so Yusuke had to return from the airport to be a judge. Yusuke returns home to find his wife having sex with a television actor, Koji Takatsuki, whom he had previously met.
He departs the scene without saying a word. Although he never speaks to Oto about it, one day she decides to talk to him about it. After work, she informs her husband that she’d like to chat to him. Yusuke arrived from work one day to find Oto on the floor.
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A cerebral hemorrhage had claimed her life. The message she intended to convey to Yusuke is never conveyed. Yusuke relocates to Hiroshima to direct Anton Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya, a play based on a novel by the same name.
The theatre authorities had a rule that the director was not allowed to drive himself. – Misaki Watari, a 23-year-old driver, has been hired as Yusuke’s driver.
Koji also shows up to try out for the position, and to Yusuke’s surprise, he is cast as Uncle Vanya, a role that he had previously been known to perform.
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