What a wonderful place the world of global cinema is?
Every year, a whole collection of fantastic films come from overseas. The Academy Awards shine a spotlight on them through their national selections, shortlists, and finally the five nominees that make the big show. Each one of these films has merits as they represent all of the cinema from the whole country. There are some countries with tough choices like France, Italy, and Japan where there are usually plenty of choices that would be excellent (like A Portrait of a Lady on Fire which is SO great but lost out to Les Misérables). I know I am always excited for the list of films to experience a whole other world of cinema.
What are the films getting some attention this year for the upcoming Oscars?
There are some crazy films gaining a lot of buzzes like the automotive sexual fever dream that is Titane and the provocative graphicness of Bad Luck Banging. There is the perennial winner from Iran, Asghar Farhadi, who has A Hero coming our way over on Amazon. There is even The Worst Person in the World which will be heading to theaters shortly. I waited just about a month for Almodovar’s latest drama Parallel Mothers to come around New Jersey. But for almost two months, I waited for one film to finally make it close enough to me to check out. Drive My Car.
What film could possibly be worth this wait?
This three-hour Japanese film focuses on a writer-director Yusuke who has lost his wife (with who he had a unique and secretive marriage with) and now must take on the works of Chekov at a theater in Hiroshima. What makes it even more complicated? He is forced to take on a chauffeur. Yusuke ends up employing a young woman (about the age of the deceased daughter he still grieves for). The film follows their budding connection, their cooperative journey to overcome their guilt from the past, and the complicated artist venture that Yusuke is taking on. Writer-director Ryusuke Hamaguchi can weave these narrative threads and bountiful themes together to fill up this ambitious runtime.
What does Hamaguchi bring to the table with his direction?
He is getting some serious awards buzz for his direction and there are no surprises there. Where some directors struggle with when to wrap up a long scene, Hamaguchi thrives in weaving a plentiful number of superb scenes that garner plenty of emotion and narrative depth. There is great camera work and shots that feel unique to other films. The way that the titular car moves across the screen and how the camera looks on from the car instead.
What Hamaguchi succeeds most with is his ability to draw emotion and tension out of his scenes.
There is plenty of tension in a stare that the actors convey and Hamaguchi captures perfectly.
What is at the heart of the epically engrossing cinematic experience?
The themes of this film are what drives the ship. Grief is at the core of the experiences of both Yusuke and his young chauffeur, Misaki. They have both lost and feel plenty of guilt for what went down. Their emotional scenes that process these complex experiences are some of the most moving and poignant scenes in film this year. There is one scene in the back of Yusuke’s car that pits Yusuke and his wife’s former lover, Takatsuki, against each other. They both saw the late Oto in different ways. One story is one compelling sequence that is full of symbolism and emotion. This scene was so tense that even Yusuke and Misaki had to have cigarettes afterward. Outside of the complex human emotions that the film tackles, there is plenty of great commentary on the creative process. There are provocative means by which Oto had written her stories and Hamaguchi is able to capture the acting process in such a poignant and real way on screen.
But what about these actors?
They are the ones who do the heavy lifting in bringing Hamaguchi’s writing to life. Hidetoshi Nishijima is a towering figure at the core of this film. There is intensity and control in the way that Nishijima commands his actors as Yusuke and the initial coldness that he conveys on screen. There are plenty of emotions underneath and it takes a long time for subtle tears to start flowing. By the end of the film, Nishijima delivers a moving and emotionally flowing performance. But he does not go on this journey alone. Miura Toko matches his stoicism and progression towards emotional release as Yusuke and Misaki become closer throughout the film. Masaki Okada delivers a compelling and layered performance as this man who struggles with a variety of emotions. One special shout out to Yoo-rim Park who can convey so much through her signing (including one scene at the end of the film).
Do you need any more convincing?
Drive My Car is one of the best films in the world right now and is certainly worth your time and commitment.
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This might be a monstrous three-hour drama, but it flows with grace and poignancy. Hamaguchi brings this drama to life in beautiful and moving ways. The actors spark emotion and connection in every frame.
