DRIVE MY CAR (DORAIBU MAI KÂ) World Cinema

Japan Official International Feature Film Oscar^® Submission

Following the theatrical screening, watch a special conversation with director Ryusuke Hamaguchi moderated by AFI Festivals Programmer Malin Kan.

Expanding on the eponymous Haruki Murakami short story, this epic examination of loss from Japanese auteur Ryusuke Hamaguchi (ASAKO I & II), which won Best Screenplay at Cannes, follows well-known stage actor Yusuke Kafuku (Hidetoshi Nishijima) who is invited to direct a multi-lingual version of Chekhov’s “Uncle Vanya” in Hiroshima. Accustomed to running lines behind the wheel with a tape recorded by his late wife, Yusuke is dismayed to learn that the production requires he accept a quiet young woman, Misaki, as his driver. When her driving abilities prove more than adequate, his concerns are shifted to revelations about his wife, a possible affair uncovered and an inner life he will never fully know. With a delicate emotionality, Hamaguchi explores what is left behind when a love is lost and a city is decimated. –Malin Kan