Drive My Car

6/10 - if you are able to stick out the three hours, you might find some true wisdom, but I found myself more bored than anything else and felt like we could have cut out at least an hour of rehearsal scenes and not really have lost anything.

Things are left unsaid but it's too late, the time has passed but moving on stagnates, the engine sits and dwells, the seas disturbed with swells, as thoughts revolve, left unresolved, and memories rotate.

A reflective piece of filmmaking that idles along at a sedentary pace but never stalls as the lives of two severed souls journey through their pasts together and untwine the chords that shackle them to memories and moments of regret. Beautiful performances all round through a subtle and imaginative approach that will leave you contemplative and reflective, perhaps even more so if you have a similar scenario performing in your own background.

Fancy a 55min long Prologue? Look no further!

This surely is an unconventional movie, that combines the principles of acting, story structure and well written dialogue so well, that you at times forget, that you are NOT watching an acting masterclass.

This movie is not an easy watch, its 3h long and yes, you feel it, but that is not necessarily a bad thing. In my opinion, the movie could have cut out 30mins, but the length is used as a storytelling device as well and the movie takes its time to flash out its characters to make them 3-dimensional, which works very well for most of them.

For a movie that has no less than 7 languages in it and (as far as I can judge from the subs) well written dialogue, there is so much left unsaid and left in between the lines for you to interpret.

The weakness of this movie unfortunately is its ending, which didnt satisfy me in the way you would expect a 3h movie to wrap up, but this is just my opinion and you might feel different about it. The ride is certainly worth hopping on!

Drive My Car is the sort of movie that, were I to describe it to myself, I'd be wary of it. It's leisurely paced - the first hour is essentially prologue - not a lot happens, and and takes time to get into its rhythm.

But ultimately it's kind of amazing. There's a remarkable subtlety to the characters, the focus on acting as a process is intriguing, and the movie doesn't offer answers but does offer ways to reconsider things you thought you know that are surprisingly compelling. It is also one of these movies you can't imagine being made in America; it just couldn't happen.

This is a movie that sticks with me in a way most movies don't. You should check it out.

A story about love, loss, grief, trauma, acceptance & healing that's rendered on screen with the care, attention & understanding it deserves, Drive My Car makes its 3-hour runtime feel insignificant by narrating a thoroughly engrossing drama that could only work if it is allowed to unravel at its own pace and makes for an emotionally crippling journey that benefits from sincere inputs from its cast.

Co-written & directed by Ryusuke Hamaguchi, the opening credits surface around the 40th minute mark coz that's when the main story actually begins but what its extended prologue does in the meantime is it silently acquaints us with our protagonist's emotional state, inner turmoil & abounding emptiness within, which in effect allows us to sympathise with him & his actions on a much deeper & more intimate level.

What's impressive about Hamaguchi's storytelling is that he gives ample breathing room to his characters and allows them to express themselves at their own comfort. Also, he makes those moments earned through the quiet spaces in between. The story shifts gear once the stage director & the young chauffeur assigned to him start interacting about their past lives and the nuanced tone of their performances makes it even more immersive.

Overall, Drive My Car never hurries through any of its motions and requires patience on the viewers' part but it is worth the effort, for the end result is rewarding & stimulating on more levels than one. Anchored by Hamaguchi's steady direction and strengthened by authentic work from its cast, this Japanese road drama isn't for all but for those who can relate to its emotional journey, the film will prove to be a profoundly personal & therapeutic experience.