Hamaguchi in Residence: Public Screening of “Drive My Car”

Directed by Hamaguchi Ryusuke
179 mins
Winner, Academy Awards 2022: Best International Film; Nominated, Academy Awards 2022: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay

Two years after his wife’s unexpected death, Yusuke Kafuku (Hidetoshi Nishijima), a renowned stage actor and director, receives an offer to direct a production of Uncle Vanya at a theater festival in Hiroshima. There, he meets Misaki Watari (Toko Miura), a taciturn young woman assigned by the festival to chauffeur him in his beloved red Saab 900. As the production’s premiere approaches, tensions mount amongst the cast and crew, not least between Yusuke and Koshi Takatsuki, a handsome TV star who shares an unwelcome connection to Yusuke’s late wife. Forced to confront painful truths raised from his past, Yusuke begins – with the help of his driver – to face the haunting mysteries his wife left behind.

With guest appearance by Director Ryusuke Hamaguchi

This event is part of Conversations, a celebration of Hamaguchi’s films, hosted by the Department of East Asian Studies, the Department of Comparative Literature, and the Program in East Asian Studies. During this series, Hamaguchi will engage the Princeton community over the course of a week in residence. A mini retrospective of his more recent films, including Drive My Car, will screen throughout the week at the Garden Theater. Most generously, he will lead a series of workshops through which a small number of students will develop and produce short films. More information about public events can be found on the Conversations website.