Drive My Car

Storyline

Drive My Car is an exquisite, meditative, and emotionally profound drama directed by Ryusuke Hamaguchi, based on Haruki Murakami's short story, which captivated global critics and became the first Japanese film in history to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture while winning the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film. The narrative follows Yusuke Kafuku, an accomplished, introspective Tokyo theater director and actor who enjoys a deeply intimate, creative marriage with his screenwriter wife, Oto, who invents intricate stories during their moments of intimacy. When Oto suddenly dies of a cerebral hemorrhage, Kafuku is left emotionally paralyzed by grief and unanswered questions regarding her hidden infidelities. Two years later, Kafuku accepts an artistic residency at a theater festival in Hiroshima to direct a multilingual stage production of Anton Chekhov's Uncle Vanya. Per insurance policy rules, the festival assigns him Misaki Watari, a reserved, stoic twenty-year-old chauffeur, to drive his cherished red Saab 900 Turbo along the coastal highways between his apartment and the rehearsals. Initially uncomfortable sharing his quiet automobile sanctuary, Kafuku develops an unexpected, tender therapeutic bond with Misaki during their daily coastal commutes. As Kafuku directs his diverse cast—including a volatile young television star who was Oto's former secret lover—he and Misaki gradually exchange confessions regarding their shared guilt, past tragedies, and unresolved grief. Praised for its sublime pacing, quiet humanism, and emotional catharsis, Drive My Car is an unforgettable journey through loss and the courage to endure.