Drive My Car

Yusuke Kafuku (Hidetoshi Nishijima), a stage actor and director, is happily married to screenwriter Oto (Reika Kirishima). Suddenly, Oto dies and leaves behind a secret. Two years later, Kafuku, who has not yet come to terms with the loss of his beloved wife, receives an offer to direct Chekhov's "Uncle Vanya" at a theater festival in Hiroshima. There he meets Misaki (Toko Miura), a reserved young woman who is assigned to him as a chauffeur. During their journeys together, driver and passenger open up, and in the process Kafaku is caught up in the mysteries of the past that silently haunt him. Ryusuke Hamaguchi's artfully designed drama "Drive My Car" inspires reflection on loss and letting go. It impressively visualizes the healing effect of art and language, which is able to overcome communication barriers such as social class, nationality, disability, guilt and trauma. The film is fascinating and multi-layered, yet so sensitively staged that it captivates the viewer. In Cannes, the film adaptation of Haruki Murakami's short story won the prize for best screenplay at the 2021 film festival. It also received four Oscar nominations in 2022 (Best Film, Best Director, Best Foreign Language Film, Best Adapted Screenplay) and won the Academy Award for Best International Film.