Drive My Car” (2021) Movie Review: A Thoughtful, Meditative Exploration of Grief, Love, and Human Connection

Drive My Car (2021), directed by Ryusuke Hamaguchi, is a poignant and introspective film that delves deep into themes of loss, healing, and human connection. Adapted from Haruki Murakami’s short story of the same name, the film weaves a complex narrative around a widowed theater director, Yusuke Kafuku (played by Hidetoshi Nishijima), who embarks on a journey of emotional self-discovery while grappling with the tragic death of his wife. Known for its meditative pace and its delicate handling of emotions, Drive My Car has garnered widespread acclaim, including the Best International Feature Film Oscar at the 2022 Academy Awards. It’s a deeply reflective cinematic experience that invites viewers to contemplate the ways we cope with grief and the quiet moments of human interaction that help us heal.

Plot Overview

Yusuke Kafuku is a respected theater director who has experienced profound personal loss: his wife, Oto (Reika Kirishima), passed away two years ago, and he has been struggling with both her death and the emotional and physical scars left in its wake. Oto, a screenwriter, had an affair with a man before her death, a fact that Yusuke knows but never fully confronted, and this unresolved tension weighs heavily on him as he moves forward in life.

After the death of his wife, Yusuke takes up a job directing a production of Anton Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya in Hiroshima. He is assigned a driver, Misaki (Toko Miura), a young woman with her own troubled past. Yusuke and Misaki form an unlikely bond over time, as they begin to open up to each other about their shared grief and loneliness. Misaki’s presence in Yusuke’s life, as well as his memories of his wife, become catalysts for his personal healing and the exploration of the pain that still lingers in his life.

The film focuses on Yusuke’s emotional journey as he wrestles with his past, his memories of his wife, and his complicated relationship with love and loss. Through his connection with Misaki, the film uncovers how humans process sorrow, find redemption in the most unlikely places, and attempt to rebuild their lives after trauma.

Themes and Social Commentary

One of the primary themes in Drive My Car is grief and the long, difficult process of moving forward after losing someone significant. The film examines how grief manifests itself in many forms—whether through silence, detachment, or an unspoken understanding—and how it impacts relationships and personal growth. Yusuke’s refusal to confront the full depth of his wife’s infidelity or their unresolved issues illustrates how grief often requires the confronting of difficult truths in order to move forward.

The film also touches on the theme of communication and the way people connect with each other. Yusuke’s interactions with others are often distant or tinged with sadness, but through his growing relationship with Misaki, he starts to understand that healing can occur when we allow ourselves to truly listen and open up to others. The car ride, a space of solitude and quiet reflection, becomes a metaphor for the emotional journey that both Yusuke and Misaki undergo.

Another important theme is the concept of love, both romantic and platonic. The relationship between Yusuke and his late wife, Oto, is not idealized; instead, it is depicted with all its complexities and imperfections. Their love was passionate and flawed, and in the wake of Oto’s death, Yusuke finds himself haunted by what he never fully understood about their relationship. Misaki’s quiet, empathetic presence contrasts Yusuke’s emotional turmoil, and her own personal wounds create a parallel narrative about coming to terms with the pain of the past and learning to trust again.

Character Development and Performances

Drive My Car excels in its character-driven narrative, where the emotional arcs of the central characters evolve gradually. Hidetoshi Nishijima’s portrayal of Yusuke is quietly powerful, capturing the sorrow and stoicism of a man who is trying to hold it together while quietly unraveling inside. Nishijima’s ability to convey the complexity of Yusuke’s internal struggle through subtle facial expressions and gestures is one of the film’s most remarkable qualities. His performance allows viewers to see the deep layers of grief, anger, and acceptance that define his character.

Toko Miura also shines as Misaki, the young driver with a troubled past of her own. Miura gives a quietly compelling performance, bringing warmth and empathy to a character who, on the surface, might seem withdrawn and distant. As she begins to open up to Yusuke, Miura’s portrayal of Misaki allows her character’s vulnerabilities to surface, adding a sense of emotional depth and humanity to the story.

The dynamic between Yusuke and Misaki is subtle and tender, evolving from professional detachment to mutual understanding and connection. Their conversations, often held in the car during their drives, form the emotional heart of the film. The film beautifully contrasts their journeys of self-discovery, both of which involve confronting their respective pasts and learning to accept the consequences of their actions.

Pacing and Cinematography

One of the defining characteristics of Drive My Car is its deliberate pacing. The film unfolds slowly, allowing each scene to breathe and giving the characters time to reflect and grow. While this may feel languid at times, the pacing is integral to the film’s meditation on grief and healing. The quiet, reflective nature of the narrative mirrors the internal emotional journeys of the characters, and it invites the audience to join in the quiet contemplation of life, loss, and the passage of time.

The cinematography, led by Hidetoshi Imai, is visually stunning, with long takes and intimate framing that draw the viewer into the emotional landscape of the characters. The use of the car, as both a literal and metaphorical space, is particularly striking. It becomes a mobile space of reflection and vulnerability, where characters engage in some of the most important conversations of the film. The cinematography captures both the personal and external landscapes, juxtaposing moments of emotional solitude with beautiful vistas, thus underscoring the emotional and physical distances the characters must travel to heal.

Final Thoughts

Drive My Car is an emotionally rich, meditative film that explores the complexities of grief, love, and the human need for connection. Through its compelling characters, thoughtful direction, and stunning performances, the film invites viewers to reflect on the ways we cope with loss and how we find ways to move forward, even when the past continues to shape us. It’s a poignant exploration of the quiet moments in life that bring about the greatest changes, and it shows that sometimes the journey toward healing requires patience, understanding, and the willingness to listen to those around us.

For those who enjoy slow-burn dramas and introspective storytelling, Drive My Car is a masterclass in emotional depth, offering a reflective and rewarding cinematic experience. It’s a film that lingers long after the credits roll, offering new insights with each viewing, and solidifying its place as one of the most profound films in recent years.

Drive My Car (2021)

“Drive My Car” (2021) Movie Review: A Meditative Exploration of Grief, Love, and the Complexity of Human Connection

Drive My Car (2021), directed by Ryusuke Hamaguchi, is a masterful, contemplative drama that offers a deeply moving reflection on loss, the passage of time, and the complexities of relationships. Adapted from Haruki Murakami’s short story, this film is both an emotionally rich exploration of grief and a quietly powerful tale of healing, marked by its sensitive pacing, nuanced performances, and layered storytelling.

The film, which won the Best International Feature Film at the 2022 Academy Awards, is an intimate, slow-burning journey that invites viewers to reflect on the emotional toll of loss, the fragility of human connections, and the process of finding solace in unexpected places. Its understated style and emotionally complex characters make Drive My Car a standout in contemporary cinema, offering a deep meditation on love, memory, and self-discovery.

Plot Overview

The film follows Yusuke Kafuku (Hidetoshi Nishijima), a theater director in his 40s, who is grappling with the sudden death of his wife, Oto (Reika Kirishima), a screenwriter. The couple’s relationship was marked by Oto’s secret affair before her death, and Yusuke is left with a mix of unresolved feelings about her, their marriage, and the life they had shared.

Two years after her passing, Yusuke accepts an offer to direct a production of Uncle Vanya in Hiroshima. There, he is assigned a young driver, Misaki (Toko Miura), who is tasked with driving him to and from the theater. Over the course of the film, Yusuke and Misaki form an unlikely bond as they share their personal griefs and confront their respective emotional scars. Yusuke also spends much of his time in the backseat of his car, listening to recordings of Oto’s voice and reflecting on their past.

The film unfolds at a deliberate pace, with each conversation between Yusuke and Misaki, along with the rehearsals of Uncle Vanya, revealing layers of the characters’ inner lives. As the story progresses, Yusuke faces not only the burden of his wife’s infidelity but also the realization that grief is an ongoing process, one that can only be navigated through understanding, acceptance, and the quiet support of those around him.

Themes of Grief, Love, and Communication

One of the central themes of Drive My Car is the complex nature of grief and the human need for connection. Yusuke’s mourning of his wife is not a simple process; it is filled with contradictions, unresolved emotions, and moments of profound silence. His grief is not neatly packaged or easily resolved. Instead, it is a lingering presence in his life, one that slowly morphs over time and manifests in various ways, including his interactions with Misaki, his role as a theater director, and his obsessive listening to recordings of his wife’s voice.

The relationship between Yusuke and Misaki serves as a key vehicle for exploring emotional healing and communication. Their connection begins with distance and silence, but as they open up to one another, they come to understand that true healing can only occur when one allows themselves to be vulnerable. Misaki, who is dealing with her own unresolved grief, becomes a reflection of Yusuke’s own pain, and through their shared experiences, both begin to process their pasts.

Drive My Car also explores the theme of communication, particularly how people express or conceal their emotions. Yusuke’s difficulty in truly confronting his wife’s affair and his own feelings of betrayal reveals how unspoken emotions can weigh heavily on the human psyche. Misaki, on the other hand, uses the car ride as a way to reflect on her past trauma. Both characters’ emotional expressions are subtle, with silence often filling the space where words might otherwise go. In this sense, the film speaks to the unspoken, offering profound emotional resonance through the characters’ quiet reflections.

Character Development and Performances

The performances in Drive My Car are exceptional, with Hidetoshi Nishijima and Toko Miura delivering performances filled with depth and nuance. Nishijima portrays Yusuke with a quiet restraint that perfectly captures the complexity of a man still in the throes of grief. His character’s evolution throughout the film—from a man emotionally detached and unwilling to face the full weight of his loss to someone who begins to embrace the idea of healing—is both subtle and deeply affecting.

Toko Miura, as Misaki, complements Nishijima’s performance wonderfully. Her character is equally complex, holding her own secrets and grief, but offering Yusuke an unexpected companionship. Miura’s understated performance allows Misaki to serve as a mirror to Yusuke’s emotional journey, as she too navigates her own pain. Their interactions, which unfold slowly over the course of the film, create a sense of deep emotional intimacy without ever being overt.

The supporting cast, including the actors involved in the Uncle Vanya production, adds richness to the film’s exploration of human relationships and the role that art plays in navigating life’s complexities. The rehearsals, with their focus on Uncle Vanya’s themes of regret and resignation, serve as an apt backdrop for Yusuke’s own emotional journey.

Pacing and Cinematography

The pacing of Drive My Car is slow and deliberate, but it is never languid. Instead, it invites the viewer into the reflective, often painful space of the characters’ lives, allowing them to fully experience the journey of emotional discovery. The film’s nearly three-hour runtime is well-earned, as each moment is filled with quiet significance. While some may find the pacing slow, it is precisely this unhurried rhythm that allows the film to develop its emotional depth in such a meaningful way.

Cinematographically, Drive My Car is visually stunning. The use of the car as a symbolic space of reflection and introspection is brilliantly executed, with long, meditative shots of the landscape passing by, mirroring the emotional landscapes of the characters. The film also utilizes the natural beauty of Japan’s landscape, enhancing the sense of solitude and personal reflection that permeates the story. The minimalist style of the cinematography serves to heighten the emotional power of the narrative, allowing the characters’ subtle expressions and internal struggles to take center stage.

Final Thoughts

Drive My Car is a profoundly moving exploration of grief, love, and the human need for connection. Its quiet, meditative pacing, coupled with exceptional performances and a deeply layered narrative, makes it one of the most powerful films of 2021. Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s direction invites viewers into the emotional landscapes of its characters, offering a slow yet rewarding journey of healing and self-discovery.

For those willing to engage with its introspective pace, Drive My Car is a cinematic experience that resonates deeply, offering a thoughtful exploration of how we navigate grief, love, and the complexities of human connection. It’s a film that lingers long after the credits roll, making it a must-see for fans of contemplative cinema and emotionally rich storytelling.