Scrolling through a friend’s SNS wall, I stumbled upon a review of Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s ‘Drive My Car’. My friend, an entertainment journalist, thought the movie was great. 🎥
I had read this novel before. A while back, I read ‘Drive My Car’, a short story from Haruki Murakami’s collection ‘Men Without Women’. It was an interesting read, but I remember feeling a bit awkward due to its lack of coherence. The part where Kafuku (the main character, an actor) shares deep stories about his wife with Misaki (the supporting character, a driver) felt off. However, considering it’s a short story, the fast pace was necessary, so I could let it slide. (Maybe it’s natural within Japanese culture) Other than that, like his other short stories, it wasn’t bad. Actually, it was good. That’s why I watched the movie with some expectations.
Turning a short story into a movie isn’t easy. You have to expand the narrative, add more events, and create new settings. During this process, the solid essence of a short story can fade, the intended message might blur, and the story can become tedious.
Despite that, personally, I think Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s ‘Drive My Car’ went overboard. The added narratives and stories kept popping up like a nail in a pocket against the serene and calm visuals. And that was too uncomfortable. Even though the final scene talks about overcoming loss and moving forward, which is quite different from what Murakami intended with ‘Drive My Car’, does this theme really resonate throughout the movie? I’m not sure. 🤔
When the director showed the script to Murakami, he said it was okay, but
It probably wasn’t okay at all.
It felt like a waste of time.
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