Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s “Drive My Car” wins the Best Screenplay Award at the Cannes Film Festival

~~

~

The film Drive my car (2021), Directed by Ryusuke Hamaguchi received the award for best screenplay at the Cannes International Film Festival on July 17, the first time a Japanese man has won the honor.

The screenplay was written by Ryusuke Hamaguchi himself and Takamasa Oe, and is based on a short story written by world famous novelist Haruki Murakami.

The story is part of the collection called Men without women (Josei no Inai Otokotachi) published in 2014.

It focuses on grief and regret, starring stage actor and director Yusuke Kafuku, who must face the demons of his wife’s infidelity and then later deal with his wife’s death. The role is played by Hidetoshi Nishijima, a popular actor in Japan who recently appeared in the popular NHK television series titled Okaeri Mone (2021). The driver, Misaki, is played by Toko Miura, and through the road trip device, the two talk about their trips.

The cast also included actors from Taiwan and South Korea, such as Korean actress Park Yoo-rim.

The 74^e The Cannes Film Festival, which took place from July 6 to 17, 2021, took place for the first time in two years, after the cancellation of the 2020 edition.

“I think the actors expressed the story very well. They are now abroad, but I would like to thank them warmly and [thank] all the invaluable staff who supported the efforts of the actors, ”Hamaguchi said at the ceremony.

Hamaguchi told Reuters he particularly enjoyed working with an international cast: “I found the fact that neither of the actors would be able to understand each other interesting as it forced them to observe each other more closely and react differently. . “

The 42-year-old Japanese director has been in the spotlight as a pioneer of the Japanese film industry. He co-wrote the screenplay for The wife of a spy (2020), which received the Silver Lion at the Venice Film Festival in September 2020.

In March 2021, Hamaguchi also received the Silver Bear Jury Grand Prix at the Berlin International Film Festival for Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy, winning awards at the three main film festivals in Europe.

Drive my car is scheduled for release in Japan on August 20. Ryusuke Hamaguchi is from Kanagawa Prefecture, on the outskirts of the capital city of Tokyo. His film had already competed at the Cannes Film Festival, in particular with Asako (I&II) (2018).

Author: Arielle Busetto