A Japanese film that stars a red Saab 900 Turbo is in the running for Hollywood's most prestigious award.
The Saab is depicted as much a character in the film as the actors are, and is the location where much of the character connections are made and developed. Centred around a theatre director and his appointed chauffeur, who drives his car (the Saab) for him, the film uses the car as a sanctuary, a place where the principle characters, confined for long periods of time, are able to talk and work through their grief and relationships. One of the film's principal characters, and a device integral to the plot, is a red Saab 900 Turbo.
Japan's film industry has struggled through ups and downs since the Golden Age of Japanese cinema in the 1950s and 1960s. At times, movies like Ran (1985), ...
Much fuss has been made in recent years about the dominance of South Korean popular music and cinema in opposition to Japanese popular culture. But Hamaguchi doesn’t rely on the major film production conglomerates and doesn’t represent the standard world of Japanese cinema. It also has the chance to change Japanese cinema forever if the industry decides to grow. Meanwhile, film production committees in Japan hold to a narrow vision of the domestic market without looking to appeal to the outside world. Japan’s film industry has struggled through ups and downs since the Golden Age of Japanese cinema in the 1950s and 1960s. Erina Ito, a journalist and member of the Japanese Film Project, a nonprofit that researches and makes proposals to resolve issues with labor and gender inequality in the Japanese film industry, said that the nomination comes from both the talent of Hamaguchi and the great history of Japanese movies that made his works possible. But even just two years ago, Japanese commentators were staunchly pessimistic about Japan’s chances of producing an international hit like Parasite. Unlike Japan, South Korea has invested aggressively in its film and entertainment industries in the past few decades. Meanwhile, film production committees in Japan hold to a narrow vision of the domestic market without looking to appeal to the outside world. Japan’s film industry has struggled through ups and downs since the Golden Age of Japanese cinema in the 1950s and 1960s. And though the betting odds are against it, a win for the Japanese film could be just as revolutionary. Now with 10 best picture nominees instead of five, and several trailblazing Asian award winners on the books, including Chloe Zhao winning best director and Youn Yuh-jung winning an acting Oscar last year, a precedent has been set for Asian and Asian American nominees on the ballot at the Academy Awards, and for them winning. And though the betting odds are against it, a win for the Japanese film could be just as revolutionary.
By ANDREW DALTON AP Entertainment Writer. LOS ANGELES (AP) — The emotional epic from Japan “Drive My Car” won the Academy Award for best international ...
He then thanked his actors, “especially Toko Miura, who drove the Saab 900 beautifully in the film,” and paused again for applause. The win for the three-hour journey through grief, connection and art spawned its own mini-drama when Hamaguchi took the stage at the Dolby Theatre to accept it. “Just a moment,” he said, to laughs from the audience.
"Given that the mainstay of the Academy Awards is American movies, I'm really happy that a Japanese film was able to win this prestigious award," said 60-year- ...
The film, which has garnered other prizes including a screenplay award at Cannes, became Japan's second regular winner in the International Feature Film category and the first since "Departures" in 2009. read more Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com
driving my car It is a beautiful Japanese psychological drama about loss and grief. driving my car It is about the ups and downs of actor and stage director ...
It’s also a space for the viewer to process it all. The death of Ryûsuke’s wife is horrific and hangs like a dark cloud over the rest of the film. Body language is very important, as is the space a director creates. This is basically the story of the movie driving my car by Risuki Hamaguchi. The film’s script is based on a short story by Haruki Murakami. The epic movie is also three hours long. The way he uses silence is a revelation. driving my car It is about the ups and downs of actor and stage director Yosuko Kafuku (Hidetoshi Nishijima). He was given a director’s job for two months in Hiroshima. Young Misaki (Toko Myoza) transports the exit in his red Saab car.
The critical support for "Drive My Car," from Japanese director Ryûsuke Hamaguchi, powered it to a surprisingly strong Oscar showing.
The three-hour Japanese drama has been a favorite of critics (including best of the year prizes from the Los Angeles Film Critics Ass n., the New York Film Critics Circle and the National Society of Film Critics), and even made former President Obama’s list of the year’s best movies, since its Cannes Film Festival debut last year. Evidence of its unique international appeal came by way of the four Oscar nominations it received (best picture, directing, international feature film and adapted screenplay). Director Ryûsuke Hamaguchi recognized himself in his protagonist, a man finding escape from unresolved tragedy through his work.