Drive My Car

Japanese Ryûsuke Hamaguchi drives right into the soul as he masterfully and seamlessly transforms Haruki Murakami’s short story into a Cannes-winning epic.

In focus is Yûsuke (Hidetoshi Nishijima), a successful theater director and actor who has three complex relationships – on physical, professional, and mental levels. To his wife Oto, he has a strong erotic bond, sprung from fantasies and tales. In relation to the young actor Takatsuki, he is driven by a consuming sense of revenge. And last – most mysteriously – the affection he feels for Misaki, the skilful young woman who, against his will, is hired as his chauffeur during work on staging Chekov’s “Uncle Vanya.” Also in focus is a red Saab, as love, betrayal, grief, and soul-searching weave together in one of this year’s best films.

• Niclas Goldberg