Next stop, the Oscars for Drive My Car
The love for international feature films must have grown a great deal after Parasite. It shows no signs of stopping as we now have the next golden egg – Drive My Car. A Japanese film, it recently won the best picture award at the LA Film Critics Association and the New York Critics Circle. The panel consisted of critics chosen from various major outlets, and all were united in the decision that the Ryusuke Hamaguchi directorial was the best of the lot. The director had previously helmed Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy, another big hit of 2021.
The story
The film discusses the relationship between an aging actor who is a widower, and his new chauffeur, who is a 23-year-old girl. The story is based on a short story by the same name written by Haruki Murakami in his 2014 short story collection, Men Without Women. Drive My Car follows Yusuke Kafuku (played by Hidetoshi Nishijima), a theatre actor who is directing a production of Uncle Vanya, while grappling with the death of his wife. The theatre company appoints a young driver named Misaki Watari, who Yusuke objects at first, but relents after seeing her driving skills. The rest of the movie shows the different experiences and people they encounter along the way.
Other winners
For his work on Drive My Car and Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy, Hamaguchi won the best director award. He was followed by Celine Sciamma, whose Petite Maman won second place, followed by Jane Campion for The Power of the Dog.
Due to the good reviews, Drive My Car is also going to contest in the upcoming Oscars.
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