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4.5
What a treasure this movie is, a creative extension of the Haruki Murakami story that adds dimensions to characters, its message of connectedness and individual concerns, and a universal respect for differences among individuals in all cultures. The overlay with Chekhov's "Uncle Vanya" was masterful.When an actor loses his life to cancer, he travels to Hiroshima, Japan to meet up some old friends, then learns on whether or not his marriage to his late wife was a good idea or not.I knew it was going to be a good movie.Why?All the critics raved but they had a hard time explaining why it was so good.This was a good sign for all things Murakami Haruki.The novelist which the movie is based on is a master of drama.I saw it at the movie theater with great expectations, found the movie to be surprisingly moving in the most unexpected moments.The scene where a speaking impaired Korean actress auditioned for the Sonya role brought me tears.I wasn't expecting that.I bought the amazon video before leaving the theater.Still it is quite surprising it won best picture for foreign films.This movie is so anti-Hollywood.No screaming, no bloodshed, minimal nudity.Everything subtle and only implied.And yet the film runs on plot twists & emotional drama.As a native Japanese speaker I wondered how anyone reading subtitles will be able to pick up on the subtleties.The theme of the story is communication (or lack there of).This is epitomized in the theatrical performance “uncle vanya” played in 5 different languages.Words that should have been said, emotions that should have been expressed.The lost opportunities.Regrets and healing.The movie is sprinkled with subtle messages.The protagonist uses an eye drop, it trickles down his cheek. He looks as if he’s crying in the car.This forecasts the trauma he’s about to experience in the next scene.He's always sitting in the back seat of the caronly to move to the passenger seat when there's an emotional development bringing him closer to the driver.Sometimes drama can be created without explosions or screams.Life imitates art. There are so many instances in life where a small gaze mean thousand words.And most of us go about missing so many of those hidden hints.This movie is about that.Amazing and profound authorI rented this movie as part of my goal to watch all of the films nominated for a Best Picture Oscar before the Academy Awards show this year. It was a worthwhile purchase.This movie came highly recommended from friends. I'm usually good with a meditative pace and with subtitles, but Drive My Car is pretty long and it just didn't hold my interest. The night I rented it, I stopped watching about 3/4 of the way through and figured I would watch the rest the next night, but I wasn't involved enough in the story to go back to it. So I still don't know how the story ends."Drive My Car" is surreal, weird, thought-provoking and conversation-inducing. It shows the reality of relationships and of inner conflicts. I keep hearing the car voice talking to the main character every day, not really hearing, but yes, remembering it! The driver is very interesting, and the relationship between the main character and the driver is sugoi! The actress who is deaf or who is playing a deaf person in the play is really interesting. I may be wrong, but I think she really is not deaf but actually learned sign language and lived her everyday life like a deaf person would...in order to play the person in the play well. I don't know enough Japanese to know if I am right or not. We will watch this movie again and again as we learn more Japanese.This seems more like an Indie movie. Definitely have to follow subtitles to get everything out of movie. An unexpected relationship develops between a man and his chauffeur. Losses and grief in their personal lives parallel each other. Another storyline ties them together, an Asian re-enactment of a Chekhov play, where the dialogue infused its wisdom into the everyday lives and dilemmas of the main characters. I found myself entranced.I have no idea what the hell other people were watching but it was not this movie that's for sure. it was Not Australia he was been driven around. and it was too andfrom home and the stage play he was writing. (not asking people to drive him then take off. dam man.)that he was asked to write. because he was an actor in movies. people need to get the story right. and it was not Hiroshima because they couldn't filmed in it's original place of Busan South Korea. cause of theCOVID-19 pandemic. but man the absolute resilience of this man to not burst out with hate for the actorwho has done him wrong (wont say) was just killing me and yelling at him to do it. but no he did nothing.but the most props I have to give too is "Toko Miura (Misaki Warari) who is driving his Sab 900 too an from. her Stark look of Despair on her face was incredible to see.I mean she didn't laugh and show no emotion at all for anything that she said. Love this move.Runtime 179 Min.
