Oscar-nominated ‘Drive My Car’ to open Friday

Above : The Oscar-nominated film “Drive My Car” will open Friday at the Magic Lantern Theatre. (Photo/Janus Films)

One by one, the last of the 2021 releases have opened in area theaters. And now it’s time for the Japanese film “Drive My Car.”

The film is scheduled to play beginning Friday at the Magic Lantern Theatre . (And just in time. It’s been announced that the film will begin streaming March 2 on HBO Max. )

“Drive My Car,” which made a number of critics’ Top 10 Lists of 2021 films, was directed by Ryûsuke Hamaguchi from a script he co-wrote with Takamusa Oe. The original source is a short story by Haruki Murakami .

The film tells the story of a theater director (played by Hidetoshi Nishijima) who, following the death of his wife, take a job directing a production of Chekhov’s play “Uncle Vanya.” The film is a study of how he grapples with the grief over his wife’s death.

Michael Phillips of the Chicago Tribune wrote, “For a century and more, film directors have explored crosscurrents between art and life, and how one informs the other. Hamaguchi makes that exploration a fully humanized one.”

Manohla Dargis of the New York Times wrote, “ ‘Drive My Car’ sneaks up on you, lulling you in with visuals that are as straightforward as the narrative is complex.”

Joe Morgenstern of the Wall Street Journal wrote, “What it is can be summed up in a word that’s often used loosely but fits the case here-a masterpiece, a mysteriously enthralling creation that keeps you guessing about where it’s going, then reveals its essence with astonishing clarity.”

One final note: “Drive My Car,” which has been nominated for four Academy Awards (including Best Picture and Best Director), has a 2-hour-and-59-minute running time.

So prepare to sit back … and enjoy.