#1136: HAMAGUCHI, Ryusuke: Drive My Car (2021)
HAMAGUCHI, Ryusuke (Japan)
Drive My Car [2021]
Only Ryusuke Hamaguchi—with his extraordinary sensitivity to the mysterious resonances of human interactions—could sweep up international awards and galvanize audiences everywhere with a pensive, three-hour movie about an experimental staging of an Anton Chekhov play, presented in nine languages and adapted from Haruki Murakami stories. With Drive My Car, the Japanese director has confirmed his place among contemporary cinema’s most vital voices. Two years after his wife’s unexpected death, Yusuke Kafuku (Hidetoshi Nishijima) arrives in Hiroshima to direct a production of Uncle Vanya for a theater festival and, through relationships with an actor (Masaki Okada) with whom he shares a tangled history and a chauffeur (Toko Miura) with whom he develops a surprising rapport, finds himself confronting emotional scars. This quietly mesmerizing tale of love, art, grief, and healing is ultimately a cathartic exploration of what it means to go on living when there seems to be no road ahead.
Director/Writer
Drive My Car [2021]
Spine #1136
Blu-ray
Only Ryusuke Hamaguchi—with his extraordinary sensitivity to the mysterious resonances of human interactions—could sweep up international awards and galvanize audiences everywhere with a pensive, three-hour movie about an experimental staging of an Anton Chekhov play, presented in nine languages and adapted from Haruki Murakami stories. With Drive My Car, the Japanese director has confirmed his place among contemporary cinema’s most vital voices. Two years after his wife’s unexpected death, Yusuke Kafuku (Hidetoshi Nishijima) arrives in Hiroshima to direct a production of Uncle Vanya for a theater festival and, through relationships with an actor (Masaki Okada) with whom he shares a tangled history and a chauffeur (Toko Miura) with whom he develops a surprising rapport, finds himself confronting emotional scars. This quietly mesmerizing tale of love, art, grief, and healing is ultimately a cathartic exploration of what it means to go on living when there seems to be no road ahead.
179 minutes
Color
Color
5.1 Surround
in Japanese, English, Korean, Korean Sign Language, German, Mandarin, Tagalog, Indonesian, Malay
1:85:1 aspect ratio
in Japanese, English, Korean, Korean Sign Language, German, Mandarin, Tagalog, Indonesian, Malay
1:85:1 aspect ratio
Criterion Release 2022
Based on the short stories Drive My Car, Scheherezade, and Kino by Haruki Murakami.
Ryusuke Hamaguchi was 43 when he directed Drive My Car.
The Film
Ryusuke Hamaguchi was 43 when he directed Drive My Car.
The Film
a
Film Rating (0-60):
The Booklet
Twelve-page wraparound featuring an essay by author Bryan Washington.
Commentary
None.
Interview
With Hamaguchi.
Program
About the making of the film, featuring behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with actors Kirishima, Nishijima, Okada, Park, Jin, and others.
Press conference footage
From the film’s premiere at the 2021 Cannes International Film Festival.
Trailer
Extras Rating (0-40):
60
The ExtrasThe Booklet
Twelve-page wraparound featuring an essay by author Bryan Washington.
Commentary
None.
Interview
With Hamaguchi.
Program
About the making of the film, featuring behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with actors Kirishima, Nishijima, Okada, Park, Jin, and others.
Press conference footage
From the film’s premiere at the 2021 Cannes International Film Festival.
Trailer
Extras Rating (0-40):
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