10 Movies From Cannes 2021 We're Hyped To See
7. Drive My Car
A stately and intriguing drama from the prolific Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Drive My Car looks like it could be the picture to break the director on a major global scale. A multi time award winner based on a short story by the great Haruki Murakami, this has been one of the big successes of this year’s festival, and many critics’ favourite to scoop the Palme d’Or.
Hamaguchi’s film is the story of a theatre director and his writer wife, and their turbulent relationship which is exacerbated when he learns he is going blind in one eye. It’s a tale of infidelity and intense personal relationships, complex relationships played out in a detailed and refreshingly adult manner.
The film won the Best Screenplay gong at Cannes’ awards ceremony, picked up hugely positive reviews, and is sure to continue to do so once it gains general release. It’s hard to see it lighting up the box offices - it’s just a shade over three hours and strikes a stately, admirably reserved tone - but for fans of Japanese cinema it looks like it could be something like a masterpiece.