Dylan’s review published on Letterboxd:
Drive My Car is absolutely phenomenal
I almost saw this at the Mill Valley Film Festival back in October and I even had tickets for it, but on the way there I realized the run time was 3 hours so I saw Petite Maman instead. I wish I had stuck with this film because seeing it now, it’s just incredible
The 3 hour run time is intimidating, especially for a film that is subtitled and only in theaters, but the run time is a big bonus for it. It uses this time to properly flesh out the characters- to give them emotional depth so you can understand their stories and how it ties in with the bigger plot. The opening (the part before the credits roll) is 30 minutes long, not joking, and that’s where we understand the backstory of Kafuku and his wife. Little elements are put into place in this segment -such as the stories she tells him- that come back later in the film to make a big splash. These help to elevate the dramatic moments during the climax that make a lot of scenes so emotionally investing. This was such a great simple technique that got me even more hooked in the 3rd act.
This film is incredibly emotional. It evokes everyones fear of vulnerability and admitting to regret by drawing out our characters emotions that rise into tense, dramatic exchanges. This screenplay is fierce and impeccably adapted. As Kafuku said: the words from the writing painfully trigger your emotions. He was referring to the screenplay of the play in the film, but the same could be applied to the screenplay of the actual film. The acting is great and sets out to do exactly what acting should do- blur the lines of what you think is acting and what is real, on-screen emotion. The revelations are built up correctly and come as shockers that setup Incredible moments. The scene with Kafuku and Takatsuki is one of the best scriptwriting scenes I’ve maybe ever seen. The run time feels long in a good way and leaves you wanting to spend more time in this world even with the 3 hours you’ve already spent there.
This is a sharp and emotional character study that strives for perfection and knocks it through the roof
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