ドライブ・マイ・カー (2021)
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A grieving theatre director finds an unexpected connection with his reserved young driver while preparing a multilingual production.
The story
Stage actor and director Yūsuke Kafuku lives in Tokyo with his wife Oto, a screenwriter who narrates her stories to him. After a series of personal tragedies, including a car crash and the sudden death of his wife, Yūsuke is left to navigate his grief. Two years later, he accepts a residency in Hiroshima to direct a multilingual production of Uncle Vanya. The theatre festival requires that he be chauffeured in his own car, leading him to bond with his reserved young driver, Misaki Watari. Together, they navigate the complexities of their shared pasts and the demands of the production.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Yūsuke Kafuku, a stage actor and director, lives in Tokyo with his wife Oto, a screenwriter who narrates her stories to him while he drives his red Saab 900 Turbo. After a series of events, including a car crash and Oto's death from a brain hemorrhage, Yūsuke is left devastated. Two years later, he moves to Hiroshima to direct a multilingual production of Uncle Vanya. He hires Misaki Watari as his driver, and the two begin to bond over their shared experiences of loss and trauma. Yūsuke casts a diverse group of actors, including a mute actress who communicates in Korean Sign Language and Kōji Takatsuki, a young television star who admits his unrequited love for Oto. As rehearsals progress, Yūsuke and Misaki share intimate details of their lives, including Misaki's history of driving her abusive mother and Yūsuke's guilt over his wife's death. When Kōji is arrested for attacking a man taking photos of him, Yūsuke is forced to decide whether to continue the production. He takes Misaki to her childhood home in Hokkaido, where they confront their shared grief in the snow. Ultimately, Yūsuke assumes the role of Vanya and gives an impassioned performance, while Misaki later finds a sense of peace in South Korea.
- First release year
- 2021
- Runtime (minutes)
- 179
- Production countries
- Japan
- Original languages
- Japanese
- Directors
- Ryusuke Hamaguchi
- Writers
- Ryusuke Hamaguchi · co-writer; Takamasa Oe · co-writer
- Cast and characters
- Hidetoshi Nishijima · Yūsuke Kafuku; Tōko Miura · Misaki Watari; Reika Kirishima · Oto Kafuku; Park Yu-rim · Lee Yoo-na; Jin Dae-yeon · Gong Yoon-soo; Sonia Yuan · Janice Chang; Ahn Hwitae · Ryu Jeong-eui; Perry Dizon · Roy Lucelo; Satoko Abe · Yuhara; Masaki Okada · Kōji Takatsuki
- Genres
- drama
- Themes
- grief; healing; self-acceptance; artistic creation
- Tone and mood
- patient; engrossing; contemplative; heartbreaking
- Premise and plot tags
- road movie; drama; films about actors; films about automobiles; films about grief; films about theatre
- Source material / true-story basis
- Haruki Murakami's 2014 short story 'Drive My Car' from the collection 'Men Without Women', with elements from 'Scheherazade' and 'Kino'.
- Reception
- The film received widespread critical acclaim, with many declaring it the best film of 2021. It was praised for its direction, screenplay, and emotional depth, appearing on numerous critics' top-ten lists.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 97% · review count: 217; Metacritic · score: 91 · scale: 100 · review count: 42
- Production trivia
- The film was originally set in Busan, South Korea, but was changed to Hiroshima due to the COVID-19 pandemic.; The original story features a yellow Saab 900 convertible, but it was changed in the film to a red Saab 900 Turbo to visually complement the Hiroshima landscape.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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