Drive My Car

[VoR]

…and with this I complete by Best Picture watchathon for 2022.



This was gorgeous, beautifully written and utterly absorbing. Definitely deserved some acting nominations to go along with the Picture and Screenplay nods.

Do get comfortable though because it is LONG, and fairly glacial at that. I saw it in the Curzon at Bloomsbury, a tiny little screen which I think was pretty much the perfect venue for it. I’m not sure I would have been able to give myself over to it quite so much if I’d watched it somewhere less intimate.

 

[Diddy]

Omg that’s him from my lovely Japanese gay drama, what a surprise he’s a famous actor over here.

That drama is “What did you eat yesterday?” for those playing at home

 

[Ellie]

NOT IMPRESSED.

Saw this on Saturday and it was preceded by a short video intro by the director. I felt he was completely trolling by giving a wry little chuckle when stating this was based on a 40 page short story, but we would see why it needed to be 3 hours long.

It did not. At all. What a pretentious and empty pile of guff.

 

[Christian]

I thought this one might ruffle some feathers

 

[Beverley]

It’s a masterpiece, loves.

 

[Mats]

is it this year's Departures?

 

[Ellie]

Spoiler: Spoiler

Did no one have a problem with the SHIT acting performances from almost all supporting characters?

Or the fact that this “genius” playwright who got her inspiration for “amazing” stories on achieving orgasm, told utterly shit stories barely worthy of a tacky American soap opera?

Or even the first 30-40 minutes actually being completely unnecessary since everything that happened was told in detail by Yusuke to the murdering actor bloke anyway? And was him supposedly revealing that he’d shagged her by telling one of her shit stories supposed to be a surprise?

The relationship with the driver girl was just dead boring, and her story about her mother really came out of nowhere, so it was just another thing to add more unnecessary running time.

I was more interested in the sociopathic actor murderer guy, but wasn’t all that sure if he was supposed to be completely dead inside or if he was just a bad actor.

Also I’m really really glad I didn’t bother with seeing Uncle Vanya in the West End in early-2020. This made the play look rubbish.

 

[AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaAAaaaA]

Oh I LOVED Drive My Car, I've seen it twice. The running time has never bothered me, I found the film totally absorbing. I appreciate it's very marmite however.

I love this genre of film, and I watch quite a lot of relatively slow Japanese/Korean dramas in the same sort of lane (I'd highly recommend Like Someone In Love and Tokyo Sonata as films that are tonally similar, alongside the MASTERPIECE that is Burning, also based upon a Murakami short story). I'd quite like to see Drive My Car at the cinema again before it leaves tbh.

Murakami is one of my favourite authors, so this film being based upon one of his short stories, with a couple of his other short stories also referenced and making up small parts of the narrative, it was basically a film MADE for me

Hamaguchi has ANOTHER film in cinemas at the moment also - The Wheel Of Fortune And Fantasy which again I loved. It's a compilation of three unconnected narratives, and feels a lot like a film version of Murakami's short story compilations. The third section in particular has stayed with me since I saw it.

 

[jivafox]

I loved Burning. The short story was thrilling too.

 

[ZZ]

That drama is “What did you eat yesterday?” for those playing at home

I looked it up. Sounds very interesting.
Unlucky with finding any torrents that work though

 

[Beverley]

Oh I LOVED Drive My Car, I've seen it twice. The running time has never bothered me, I found the film totally absorbing. I appreciate it's very marmite however.

I love this genre of film, and I watch quite a lot of relatively slow Japanese/Korean dramas in the same sort of lane (I'd highly recommend Like Someone In Love and Tokyo Sonata as films that are tonally similar, alongside the MASTERPIECE that is Burning, also based upon a Murakami short story). I'd quite like to see Drive My Car at the cinema again before it leaves tbh.

Murakami is one of my favourite authors, so this film being based upon one of his short stories, with a couple of his other short stories also referenced and making up small parts of the narrative, it was basically a film MADE for me

Hamaguchi has ANOTHER film in cinemas at the moment also - The Wheel Of Fortune And Fantasy which again I loved. It's a compilation of three unconnected narratives, and feels a lot like a film version of Murakami's short story compilations. The third section in particular has stayed with me since I saw it.

the second section is incredible. and the third section is so beautiful.

 

[Diddy]

I looked it up. Sounds very interesting.
Unlucky with finding any torrents that work though

It’s on Netflix here, is that an option?

 

[ZZ]

gggggg

It’s on Netflix here, is that an option?

I’m boycotting Netflix

 

[Jark]

I liked Burning a lot, but found it a touch unsatisfactory too in the end. its short story origins were a little exposed. great trio of actors though.

really excited for Drive My Car!

 

[Alias #23]

NOT IMPRESSED.

Saw this on Saturday and it was preceded by a short video intro by the director. I felt he was completely trolling by giving a wry little chuckle when stating this was based on a 40 page short story, but we would see why it needed to be 3 hours long.

It did not. At all. What a pretentious and empty pile of guff.

Not nice to say it but you're very obviously a sick and wicked monster

EMPTY?

 

[Alias #23]

I would like to point out that I did mention Drive My Car in The Arthouse Lounge on Monday so that awful @VoR is blatantly copying me and will be strangled accordingly

 

[Ellie]

Not nice to say it but you're very obviously a sick and wicked monster

EMPTY?

Maybe if they could ACT it might have given some sort of emotion. Seriously some of the cast gave me Geri Halliwell in SATC vibes. Worse, the Pritchard brothers in Hollyoaks.

 

[Alias #23]

I saw it in the Curzon at Bloomsbury, a tiny little screen which I think was pretty much the perfect venue for it. I’m not sure I would have been able to give myself over to it quite so much if I’d watched it somewhere less intimate.

I saw it at the Ciné Lumière and it did work well on a large screen. Mind you I did have my favourite seat () and also there was hardly anyone else there...

 

[Alias #23]

Maybe if they could ACT it might have given some sort of emotion. Seriously some of the cast gave me Geri Halliwell in SATC vibes.

Oh PLEASE NO (if )

SOMEONE BAN ELLIE NOW PLEASE

 

[Peekaboo]

is it this year's Departures?

It wishes!

 

[Peekaboo]

It was fine but the third act was really OVERWROUGHT and TALKY in a bad Bergman way and let down all the build-up they had spent what felt like THREE HOURS building.

I really liked the credits WALTZING IN 40 minutes after the film started but it's hardly the CINEMATIC GAMECHANGER the director seems to think it is!

 

[Alias #23]

I must say that I didn’t really notice any BUILD UP to begin with - I never like too much going on as I find it bewildering - so I was fine with the third act () Honestly the facial expression of the female lead will be with me FOREVER

The waltzing in of the credits was indeed very indeed

In fact I might go and see it again

 

[Peekaboo]

Well, the film is building up to the moment where

Spoiler

she finally confronts what happened in Hokkaido

But I thought that whole part was really meandering and some of the dialogue was clearly aiming for CHEKHOVESQUE but in truth it was just CONVOLUTEDLY TRITE.

I don't think it's a film without merit, I enjoyed it overall but I think it peaks about halfway through and never recovers.

Ending with

Spoiler

THAT Uncle Vanya scene

just made me want to watch THAT instead of this film.

 

[jivafox]

LOVED it girlies. I do enjoy a VINDICTIVE theatre drama and this gave me that and so much more, despite not feeling the three hours.

Definitely going to pick up Men Without Women now.

 

[Beverley]

LOVED it girlies. I do enjoy a VINDICTIVE theatre drama and this gave me that and so much more, despite not feeling the three hours.

Definitely going to pick up Men Without Women now.

i might be wrong, but i think the short story its based on is only goes up to the credits, and the rest Hamaguchi wrote himself.

he's quite the terrific writer tbh. there's a part in Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy where a character reads from a 'book' and the prose is AMAZING. Right, @AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaAAaaaA ?

 

[AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaAAaaaA]

i might be wrong, but i think the short story its based on is only goes up to the credits, and the rest Hamaguchi wrote himself.

he's quite the terrific writer tbh. there's a part in Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy where a character reads from a 'book' and the prose is AMAZING. Right, @AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaAAaaaA ?

Sooooo the main plot of the film is based upon a short story from Men Without Women, this covers the relationship at the start/crash/car being driven for him. But the film really expands and beefs up all of this and the characters. Reading the story after watching the film feels like reading a skeleton version of a pitch for the film.

There's also another story from the same book that is featured - this is via the wife's stories she tells in bed, and then later expanded upon via the young actors monologue in the taxi.

I THINK there might be another Murakami short story woven into the film to a lesser degree also, but I can't actually remember at 11.55am

In regards to Wheel Of Fortune And Fantasy, I do belive the second part in particular and the passage queen @Beverley refers to is another reference to Murakami, who is known for his awkward sex scenes plonked into his books seemingly sometimes when the narrative doesn't always demand it.

Murakami isn't without his issues as a writer, but I do on the whole ADORE his work, so to find a director who seemingly is able to work harmoniously with him is quite something.

I'd also say Men Without Women is probably Murakami's weakest book of short stories IMO, and Drive My Car has really added value to the book.

 

[AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaAAaaaA]

And just to underline, anybody that liked/loved Drive My Car should totally try and see The Wheel Of Fortune And Fantasy if it's at a cinema near you currently! It's really so good.

I find for me Hamaguchi's films work so much better in a cinema setting than at home, as I think being able to absorb his world and pay attention to the (occasionally quite lengthy) passages of dialogue between characters is quite important. At home I can't resist getting my phone out.

Now to petition for a cinema locally to show the 317 minute long Happy Hour

 

[Beverley]

And just to underline, anybody that liked/loved Drive My Car should totally try and see The Wheel Of Fortune And Fantasy if it's at a cinema near you currently! It's really so good.

I find for me Hamaguchi's films work so much better in a cinema setting than at home, as I think being able to absorb his world and pay attention to the (occasionally quite lengthy) passages of dialogue between characters is quite important. At home I can't resist getting my phone out.

Now to petition for a cinema locally to show the 317 minute long Happy Hour

Asako I&II is on MUBI

 

[AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaAAaaaA]

BURNING (which is discussed in this thread before somebody blows a hemorrhoid) is currently on BBC iPlayer for anybody that might be interested.

Personally, I ADORE it and think it's an absolute classic CLASSIC film with so many layers.
It ran so the likes of Parasite and Drive My Car can run, but ultimately I think it's better than both - especially Parasite as it delves into the world of class in South Korea in a much more interesting way for me.

 

[Christian]

Another vote for Burning from me - it's SO GOOD.

Plus you get to look at Steven Yeun