Drive My Car - 4 nominations

 

Best Motion Picture of the Year Teruhisa Yamamoto (producer)

Best Achievement in Directing Ryûsuke Hamaguchi

Best Adapted Screenplay Ryûsuke Hamaguchi (screenplay by) Takamasa Oe (screenplay by)

Best International Feature Film Japan

This long and methodical film follows Yusuke, a well known actor and director who performs a unique production of Uncle Vanya.  After tragedy strikes in his life, he is invited to Hiroshima to stage a similar production, with the twist that most of the characters speak different languages thanks to creative casting.  One of the characters doesn't speak at all and she uses sign language throughout the production, a detail I simply loved.  The theater company has a rule that he may not drive himself while he is in their employ due to his glaucoma, and they hire a young woman who is reputed to be an excellent driver (not the Rain Man kind, the actual kind).

One of the young men he casts who is given the lead happens to also be a man who was having an affair with Yusuke's wife two years prior.  This young man, Takatsuki is erratic and perhaps too young for the role, and eventually puts Yusuke into a very difficult position that ultimately will decide whether the play goes on.

In addition to all of this, the relationship between the driver and Yusuke grows, partly because of their common history of past tragedy.  In a relatively expected arc, they go from skeptic strangers to friends who help each other find catharsis.

Many critics consider Drive My Car to be the best film of the year, including Justin Chang of the Los Angeles Times.  Its nomination for Best Picture seemed almost a lock. I liked the film but I thought it was too long.  The "preamble" of the film setting up the main plot line took almost 45 minutes.  I think this can be typical of the high brow work of Japanese film and ultimately the story is engaging and the characters are well drawn and interesting.  But fair warning, if you prefer a director whose internal rule is that every scene must move the story forward, this is not the film for you.  If you can sit in the long set up and allow for a lot of daylight between story, then I do truly recommend this film.  It's lovely and worth it, but only if you can sit through the 3+ hours without complaint.

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