Dec’s review published on Letterboxd:
What if I’d gone home a bit earlier.
I love it when a protagonist in a film is directing a production of a play and the entire film feels like a play at the same time. Yūsuke Kafuku (portrayed by Hidetoshi Nishijima) follows two tragedies in his relationship and decides to put on a production of Anton Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya. He manages to showcase a haunting regret so well, I couldn’t take my eyes off him or any actor really. There’s not many characters, it’s dialogue focused and a drama deeply tied into regret, love, relationships and death. Drive My Car is an engrossing experience, it’s 3 hour runtime isn’t noticeable as it’s mainly a calm, patient road trip film. The 40 minute prologue is what sells the pacing. Beautifully shot, excessive clean cinematography with simple but stunning environments. I liked the way the car was used as a device for key moments.
Fun fact: Opening credits start from the 41st minute.
