Drive My Car(HKAFF 2021)

Coming off his Berlin Silver Bear-winner triptych Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy, writer-director Ryusuke Hamaguchi continues his hot creative streak with this epic adaptation of Haruki Murakami’s short story that won the Best Screenplay prize at Cannes. Two years after the death of his wife, theatre director Yusuke returns to the stage with a unique production of Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya. For insurance reasons, Yusuke is assigned a driver, the emotionally guarded Misaki. Over their drives, the two bond over the traumas that made them cold. Despite its daunting length, Hamaguchi’s refined approach results in an emotionally searing work that finally overcomes the difficulty of translating Murakami’s work to the big screen.