Today is a good day for streamers trying to chase down all of the nominees for Best Picture. Earlier today we had West Side Story drop (that review HERE) and now we have the sentimental favorite of many, the foreign language darling of the field “Drive May Car”.
Yusuke Kufuku (Hidetoshi Nishijima) is a renowned stage director and actor, and his life changes after his troubled wife suddenly dies. Some time later he receives an invitation to Hiroshima to direct a production of “Uncle Vanya” and methodically we’re presented with a sequence of events that isn’t very easy to forget.
And if you’re wondering where the title comes from, Yusuke is contractually forbidden from driving his 900 series SAAB and gets a driver for his time on the production.
Director Ryusuke Hamaguchi gives us some that’s truly unique here. The characters are different. The storytelling decisions unorthodox. And it’s a really great looking film. It will keep you guessing, and the entire cast each brings something different to the equation.
The challenge here is that it’s three hours long. That’s no joke. Its 3 minutes longer than Avengers: Endgame. And for a foreign film, that may be a challenge for some that don’t like reading subtitles. This is also a film that finds progression through some very subtle moments.
Film lovers will scour theaters and streaming services trying to find something that is creatively different, and not a reboot or reimagining of something we’ve seen a dozen times over. “Drive My Car” fits that bill nicely.
Drive My Car
Grade: B+
Rated: NR
Running Time: 2 hours and 59 minutes.
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