Hamaguchi and cowriter Takamasa Oe greatly expand on Murakami’s story, which ranks among the least surreal of his catalog, by borrowing from other pieces by the author-particularly via the opening and the ending. As it turns out, occupying such a sacred space means “driver” is the least of the roles she’ll go on to play here. Against his wishes, Misaki ( Toko Miura), a quiet young woman who takes the helm of his beloved red Saab, is assigned as his driver. The story then flashes forward two years in the future, with Yūsuke away from home in Hiroshima, where he’s set to direct a production of Uncle Vanya, by Russian playwright Anton Chekhov. This is all a kind of extended prologue, though, punctuated by Oto’s shocking death early in the film. It’s also haunted by the passing, before the film begins, of their 4-year-old daughter, and later by Oto’s infidelity. Both are storytellers-he is a theater director she a screenwriter-and their life, intimately captured in the film’s early sequences, appears sexually and romantically fulfulling. Hamaguchi opens the film on Yūsuke and his wife, Oto ( Reika Kirishima). After a talk with Misaki, the two are able to reconcile their grief, and Yusuke performs as Vanya.Drive My Car is windy and unpredictable, propelled by dialogue as its hero wades through grief, regret, and eventually a kind of rebirth. Yusuke also bonds with Koji Takatsuki, a fellow actor who is implied to have slept with Oto.Īfter Koji is arrested for beating a man to death for taking his picture, Yusuke is asked to take on the role of Vanya. Throughout the production, Yusuke bonds with Misaki over their shared experiences with grief, as Yusuke and Oto had lost a daughter long ago, while Misaki lost her mother in an accident and blames herself because she believes she could have saved her. Because he has glaucoma, he is made to be driven around by a young woman named Misaki Watari. Two years later, Yusuke is set to direct a stage production of "Uncle Vanya". Oto later dies of a brain hemorrhage, and Yusuke is left feeling guilty for never talking to her about it. He knows that she cheats on him with other men, but he never confronts her about it. Yusuke Kafuku is a stage actor and director, married to Oto. He rehearses the recording of “Uncle Vanya” while Misaki drives. Although Yusuke objects to this, he sees that Misaki is a skilled driver. However, he is told he cannot drive himself due to his condition, so the company has hired a young driver, Misaki Watari (Toko Miura). He has accepted a job to direct a production of “Uncle Vanya” using actors who speak different languages. Two years later, Yusuke has moved to Hiroshima. When Yusuke attempts to perform in “Uncle Vanya”, he has a breakdown in the middle of his performance. When he returns home, he finds Oto dead on the floor, having passed away from a brain hemorrhage. He drives around and listens to a recording of “Uncle Vanya”, which he is set to perform in as the role of Vanya. One day, Oto tells Yusuke that she wants to talk to him. They later have sex, where Oto tells Yusuke more of her story ideas. Afterwards, Yusuke and Oto go to honor their deceased daughter. He is given medicine to slow down the progression. After Yusuke “returns”, he and Oto visit the doctor and learn that Yusuke has glaucoma.
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