DRIVE MY CAR
Narrative Feature | 179 minutes

HIFF 2021

 World Cinema Narrative

Directed by
Ryusuke Hamaguchi

Produced by
Teruhisa Yamamoto

Written by
Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Takamasa Oe

Featuring
Hidetoshi Nishijima, Toko Miura, Masaki Okada, Reika Kirishima, Park Yurim, Jin Daeyeon

2021 | Japanese/Korean/English/Cantonese/Mandarin/ Tagalog/Indonesian/German/Malaysian | Japan

While grieving the loss of his wife Oto (Reika Kirishima), aging thespian Yusuke Kafuku (Hidetoshi Nishijima) develops an unexpected connection with Misaki (Toko Miura), the reticent young woman hired to be his chauffeur as he prepares for an upcoming production of Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya. An engrossing tale of love and betrayal, loneliness and kinship, DRIVE MY CAR thoughtfully considers the ways in which artistic expression can unlock fundamental truths to understanding human nature. Crafted in his characteristically mesmerizing style, Japanese auteur Ryusuke Hamaguchi (HAPPY HOUR, ASAKO I & II) skillfully transforms Haruki Murakami’s short story into an entrancing epic that earned him Best Screenplay at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival.