Years after Yûsuke’s (Hidetoshi Nishijima) wife, Oto (Reika Kirishima), passes away suddenly, he is afforded the opportunity of a lifetime–directing a production of the world-renowned Uncle Vanya. On his venture through developing this production he meets a young driver named Misaki (Tôko Miura), and her part in Yûsuke’s life is far more important than either of them could have imagined. Drive My Car is Yûsuke’s journey through grief and rediscovery.
At the base of Drive My Car viewers have a character study. The film focuses on understanding the many personalities present in the world, and it aims to express to viewers how they each play a pivotal role in the unrelenting roller coaster of life. So, I thought: screw it–I’ll play along.
Oto Kafuku:
Intelligent
Creative
Loving
Muse
Oto is a character that viewers certainly both love and hate. She’s dishonest, but she’s passionate about the love that she has for others. There is a wild juxtaposition that exists within her as she displays her love for her husband, but also expresses to viewers that she’s willing to risk it for something completely irrelevant. We all have this type of person in our lives–the person that we know cares for us, but is willing to take chances and put themselves first, ultimately straining the relationship. She’s not a bad person–and she’s most definitely not a bad character, but she begs viewers to question whether or not they can accept her. The casting of Oto is perfect. Reika does well portraying the somewhat manipulative wife, but she’s incredibly attractive, and that allows this balancing act to work for Drive My Car in the way that it does. While the other actors are talented, this decision made by the casting department is the best of the bunch. Reika’s screen time in the grand scheme of this three-hour film is small, but her performance and how well written Oto is allows the character to play an integral role in Drive My Car.
Misaki Watari:
Determined
Inexperienced
Naive
Caring
Misaki is young, and she doesn’t always necessarily understand the intricacies of the world. She sometimes struggles to appreciate why she and others feel the way they do–even though she comes from a world that has exposed her to liars and deceivers. She looks for the best in people, and she’s always willing to give one-hundred percent. She’s far from immature, but she possesses an innocence and naivety that may cause viewers to view her as such–and I think that’s a fair assumption to make. Both Misaki and Tôko exist on the opposite end of the spectrum from Oto and Reika. She’s certainly not unattractive, but her role often feels as far from sexual as possible–and she’s meant to play the foil to Oto. Drive My Car develops a personality that is so perfectly down to earth and pragmatic, but beautifully optimistic, so much so that she reminds me of someone very special in my life. Seeing the beauty in everything is a talent, and Misaki ultimately becomes the light that guides the way through Drive My Car.
Yûsuke Kafuku:
Headstrong
Passionate
Jaded
Dedicated
Damaged
Yûsuke is the most damaged character that Drive My Car has to offer. Without Yûsuke there is no film, no story, no reason to care–because he’s the driving force behind what the film encompasses. In one way or another Yûsuke is you, he’s me, he’s everyone you’ve ever met. He’s scarred from his past, and those scars make every instance of life difficult for him. Yûsuke is multidimensional, as he appears optimistic at times and fully pessimistic at others. While each and every one of the characters is brilliant and real, Yûsuke is the one that resonates with me the most (and I’d venture to guess that that majority of viewers feel that same way). He’s the character with the most life experience, the most to offer, and the most welcoming. Hidetoshi is unwavering in his ability to reach viewers, to convey honesty, and to facilitate emotion in the grand scheme of Drive My Car. He’s the most important part of the entire film–and without him, written in the fashion in which he is, Drive My Car fails.
Drive My Car is a three-hour film, and it touches on a number of characters that represent people in our lives. We know these individuals, we are familiar with them, and we’ve been affected by them whether we know it or not. This film aims to, beyond anything else, enlighten its viewers, and express to them the importance of the people that we interact with (or have interacted with in the past).
It’s ironic that a large portion of Drive My Car takes place in a moving vehicle, because the film often feels like it is standing still–it’s even boring at times. This is a difficult film to dissect because I don’t look at it like a typical film–it feels more like an experiment. I’m not worried about the narrative, the cinematography, the lighting, dialogue, etc.; the only thing I’m worried about is learning about the characters. Rating this like a standard film doesn’t even seem fair because of how different it is; so, I’m going to do something I’ve never done before, I’m going to give it two ratings.
Directed by Ryûsuke Hamaguchi.
Written by Haruki Marukami, Ryûsuke Hamaguchi
Starring Hidetoshi Nishijima, Tōko Miura, Reika Kirishima, Park Yu-rim, Jin Dae-yeon, etc.
FILM: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/10
CHARACTER STUDY: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/10
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