Haruki Murakami¡¯s well-loved books have been the basis for several big-screen adaptations over the years, with variable results. But the latest has attracted nearly unanimous acclaim: ¡°Drive My Car,¡± from a short story by the writer. It¡¯s the rare successful adaptation that stands firmly on its own as a sophisticated film, and it puts a fresh spotlight on its director, Ryusuke Hamaguchi, as a major talent.
The source for ¡°Drive My Car¡± runs no more than 40 pages. It¡¯s about a theater actor named Yusuke Kafuku, who gets a personal driver and makes an unexpected friend, an actor who was one of his late wife¡¯s lovers. Out of the Murakami tale¡¯s ambling reflections on regret and performance, Hamaguchi spins something grander yet no less intimate: a multilayered, unpredictable three-hour drama that tends to leave viewers reinvigorated.
The 42-year-old director has been making films since the 2000s, but he¡¯s the first to say how unlikely this one might seem.
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