350. Drive My Car (Doraibu mai kâ); movie review

 

 

DRIVE MY CAR (DORAIBU MAI KA)

Cert 15

179 mins

BBFC advice: Contains strong sex

It was that nightmare moment - just when I thought I had my film-watching schedule complete for 2021, I discovered a movie which Variety has tipped as an Oscar contender.

And it was released in the UK in the autumn!

Because of the interruptions of the pandemic, I have found monitoring movie releases much more difficult over the past two years and Drive My Car has slipped through my net.

Fortunately, it was available on the BFI player but, to my horror, it was three hours long! Indeed, it transpires that the opening credits don't emerge until 40 minutes have elapsed.

But if a late-night stint on December 30 was required for an element of completeness, it simply had to be.

Mrs W fell by the wayside an hour into Ryûsuke Hamaguchi's movie but I stuck with it and am glad I did.

I love Japanese cinema because each film offers a different nuance on a culture which is so alien to us in the west.

Consequently, Japan is a country which I long to visit in the future.

I digress. Drive My Car is a beautifully written and acted essay on love and loss and makes us think how much we really know those around us.

It stars Hidetoshi Nishijima as a theatre director who has a passionate marriage to a screenwriter (Reika Kirishima).

Sadly, they have already experienced tragedy and an even more seismic event follows.

the director then moves to a provincial theatre where he has been hired to lead a difficult Chekov play with actors speaking different languages.

Meanwhile, his contract says that he has to be driven to and from rehearsals and performances.

At first he has a very businesslike relationship with his driver (Tōko Miura) but very gradually trust builds up and surprising life stories emerge.

At the same time, his tempestuous leading man (Masaki Okada) is struggling with his part, given by a director who knows of his affair with his deceased wife.

Some will find Drive My Car slow - there is certainly much repetition during the play rehearsals.

But I found myself in the mood to be receptive to a film which requires quiet contemplation to allow its messages to sink in.

Its acting is pinpoint, the variety of its characters is stark and, although, I would have preferred it to be half an hour shorter, I can understand its acclaim.

Reasons to watch: Apparently an Oscar contender

Reasons to avoid: At leats 30 minutes too long

Laughs: None

Jumps: None

Vomit: None

Nudity: Bare bums

Overall rating: 8.5/10

Did you know? The film was originally set in Busan, South Korea, but was changed to Hiroshima, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The final word. Ryûsuke Hamaguchi: "While I was reading Uncle Vanya I was encouraged to put more and more of Chekhov’s words into the film. What really struck me in his story is the question of how we find hope. " Reverse Shot

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