Ryusuke Hamaguchi created a highly ambitious and contemplative piece of art in the form of “Drive My Car.” The film was reflective of our Covid/Quarantine era. We all felt boxed in like Kafuku and Misaki in those long, lonely drives in the instantly iconic Saab, drifting through moments, waiting for something to change in our circumstances but almost submitting that this would be our new normal reality. While being a timeless masterpiece, “Drive My Car” struck a resonant chord within us in the time of the pandemic. However, the most fascinating aspect of the movie for me is the portrayal of the healing power of theatre. 

Our protagonist, Yusuke Kafuku, is directing a play called “Uncle Vanya ” by Anton Chekhov. In adapting Chekov’s vision, Kafuku uses artists from diverse nationalities and languages and even employs sign language. As anyone who has “Drive My Car” must know, our protagonist Yusuke is grappling with the loss of his wife, who constantly pursued other men, without delving much into the main plot, I just want to quickly cite that the movie is propelled by one of the finest screenplays in recent times and it makes the best use of sex scenes to dictate the trauma of the characters. Now focusing back on the healing power of theatre in Drive My Car, let me talk about the play Uncle Vanya for a bit. 

Uncle Vanya’s Parallel with Drive My Car’s Characters 

Uncle Vanya by Chekhov remains one of the finest plays ever. The deeply cynical characters of the play are in some way related to the characters of the movie. For those who don’t know much about this play, please let me give you some brief information. This play includes a series of depressed and resentful melancholic characters dwelling on the misfortunes of their lives. Throughout the play, the characters’ lives get tangled into each other through lies, heartbreak, jealousy, and conflict. Vanya is the main character, who is sad and bitter and dwells heavily on how he could have been so much more successful. He is also obsessed with a woman called Yelena, who unfortunately doesn’t love him back. Furthermore, he is also jealous of an egotistical and insecure man named Serebryakov who is super successful and married to Yelena. This is all you need to know about the play. 

These characters and events in the play tie in loosely with the characters and events in the movie Vanya would be Yusuke, Yelena would be Yusuke’s wife Oto and Serebryakov would be the movie’s twisted antagonist, Koshi. These characters’ parallels with the characters of the theatre make the movie so fascinating. Yusuke is initially reluctant to play Vanya’s character as it is too close to his reality, so he is roped in to direct the play instead. Directing the play becomes a form of catharsis for Yusuke as he grapples with the loss of his wife and the trauma left by her infidelity. 

The Rehearsal Room as a Safe Space 

In the entire film, we see the rehearsal room for the play Uncle Vanya as a safe space for all the characters. This room gives characters the opportunity to confront their inner demons without any critical judgement. One poignant scene that presents the rehearsal room as a safe space is Yusuke watching the actors bring their own experiences and emotions into their performances. This process of embodying the characters given to them feels liberating for all the characters as they express their raw feelings through the dialogue of the play, letting them confront their personal grief and trauma. 

The scenes in this rehearsal room beautifully underscores the healing power of theatre which is in itself a microcosm of the world that is filled with people who won’t judge you for your acts and stand with you as a singularity in the time of hardship. No character in Drive My Car is devoid of grey shade, but the rehearsal room is a place where they are not judged for their flaws. It is a place where they enact their parts before the play and sometimes some scenes of the play hit too close to home for them that they get the necessary catharsis for them to move forward in their lives.

The Performance and the Audience Reaction

The transformative power of theatre in action is presented in the performance and the audience’s reaction during the live play. All characters from Yusuke to Lee Yoon-a channel their own grief and emotions into their performances. This makes the live performance of the theatre a highly emotional experience for both characters and the audience. When the performances are played in the theatre, the audience gets moved by the raw emotions and authenticity of the actor’s portrayals of the cynical characters of Uncle Vanya. 

The themes of longing, regret and unfulfilled dreams deeply decorated beautifully in Chekhov’s work resonate with each character of the play and it becomes a deeply cathartic yet healing experience for the actors to bring these characters to life. Hamaguchi understands the beauty of the human condition and stages the performance of characters in Drive My Car in Uncle Vanya in the most minimal yet poignant manner for the audience to have a deeply melancholic experience. 

The Post-Performance Discussions

The post-performance discussions are also artistically staged by Hamaguchi. Here, we see characters engage in discussions about the production and its themes. This provides the characters with an opportunity for reflection and introspection. All of them share their thoughts and interpretations of the play in the most wholesome part of the movie. Through these post-performance discussions, the characters somehow gain insights into their own experiences and struggles. This beautiful exchange lets them find comfort and solidarity in their shared humanity. 

Yusuke’s Journey of Self-Discovery and The Power of Artistic Expression

At its core, Drive My Car is Yusuke’s story, other characters are undeniably of pivotal importance to the narrative, but it’s his journey we are following all along and theatre plays a huge part in his self-discovery. Through his interaction with the actors of the play and his exploration of Chekhov’s text, he begins to confront his own unresolved feelings about his wife’s death and his strained relationship with her. The process of directing the play allows him to come to terms with his grief and find a sense of closure, which leads to a newfound sense of peace and acceptance. 

However, his reluctance in accepting to play the lead character of the play illustrates his cowardness in not accepting the fact that he mirrors that character with his emotionally distant demeanour and cynicism. In the cathartic final moments of the film, Yusuke finally decides to let go of his past trauma and embrace his new life, which leads him to play Vanya in one of the most emotional moments in the movie. 

Drive My Car showcases the transformative power of artistic expression as a means of processing and transcending emotional pain. Whether it is acting, directing, or writing, the characters find some kind of peace in their creative endeavours, using art as a vehicle for self-expression and healing. And the play Uncle Vanya beautifully emphasises the healing power of theatre within the world of the movie. As pointed out by Yusuke in one scene of the film “A good story is like a bird that comes to roost in your soul”, this is exactly what the movie does to its viewers. 

With the inclusion of theatre in its powerful world, the movie reflects on the therapeutic nature of storytelling. The profound impact of art on the human spirit and its ability to bring comfort and meaning in times of turmoil. I once heard someone say, “Fiction is the lie through which we tell the truth”, so the lie of fiction within the movie, tells the truth about the characters’ lives in the most subtle yet poignant way. I haven’t seen the power of storytelling demonstrated better in recent times, and for that reason, Drive My Car is bound to be a classic that will stand the test of time!