I really couldn't connect with this film despite generally liking slower and deeper films. It felt crushingly tedious and after an hour and a half I found I had no emotional connection with the characters or the story. The second half was then just a slog with little payback. Definitely not a film that I would recommend.

Run time is an investment, not a criticism! This movie pays off wonderfully. It's rich in character and never wavers in its pacing or delivering the sweet truth of each character's story.

Director Ryusuke Hamaguchi delivers a sombre tale of love, lost, the healing journey & connection through art of storytelling. The beautifull aspect that captured my attention, after so much trauma in Yusuke's life, his coming to terms with his grief comes through the connection of his art, the emotions are finally allowed to break free. Ryusuke Hamaguchi direction & the performances from the wonderful cast, really deliver the subject matters the story deals with & the near 3 hour runtime is nothing.

A driver’s job is to take someone to the correct destination. In this film, the characters, much like us in real life, make mistakes and experience misguided emotions. The story of this movie guides not only the characters but also us toward a more truthful and proper way of confronting life—just like a driver leading someone to their destination. One critic described watching this film as a form of meditation. I couldn’t agree more.

Difficult to give stars... Good film, but why are all the Japanese ones so full of pain, and frustration? Because of the morbid cities? Make me so happy to live in a small, Swedish, countryside, village, despite the fact that it's seen as wasteland

run time couldve been shorter

I liked the ending. It was very touching and moving, but it was bit too long and slow. You will need a little patience.

I enjoyed this movie , it was calm, i just let myself to the experience and loved it. it had great cinematography as well, some great shots. I find foreign cinema more and more appealing

Well acted and shot but…this needs to join the pantheon of rubbish Japanese cinema that is overlong, pretentious and stunningly boring. Not worth wasting your time on.

I spare the reader the synopsis as it has been told by other reviewers, but 3 years after the release I feel compelled to add my 5/5 star rating. Not many movies have been able to captivate me that strongly as this one. At first being confusing and wildly unusual (as every piece from the author Murakami) the story began to envelope me, almost unnoticed, then more and more. The personal stories of suffering become more about how do deal with it, transcending into universal truths. The theatre play beautifully echoes this development. The ending is very satisfying in that it gives peace to the main character's struggle, showing a way how to survive personal ordeals. For those with attention span deficit the movie may be too long, also too complex. For my part, it needed the time to grow and find a conclusion. Not a single minute wasted.

Another thought provoking Japanese 🇯🇵 movie, where every line is profound.

El tono introspectivo en el que narra la relación entre un dramaturgo y su relación con su chofer particular, puede ser un poco agotador, por su metraje de cerca de tres horas y su ritmo relajado. De cualquier manera, deja un cierto buen sabor de boca.

Hamaguchi lets you live the inner life of his characters, and you just wish the movie would never end, as in 'Happy Hour.'

It's like a therapy session mixed with a remake of Uncle Vanya. The characters suffer from splitting and denial.

It lasted like forever! One of those movies that never end, very slow. I liked the story, and the acting, but there were times where I actually fell asleep cause nothing relevant happened. If you are on the mood for a slow burning drama then go ahead.

Yeah I suppose this could have been half as long but the movie slows everything down deliberately (hence why the opening credits don't happen until about 45 minutes into the runtime) so that we can linger on the the characters and small observational moments that most movies don't have the time to indulge.

I really wanted to like this movie. With 15 minutes left all I could think is that I hope the credits run for 12 min. I just wanted it to end and it wouldn't. I suppose it's touching in some places, but mostly it's just long and painfully boring.

artsy scribble sometimes elegant and smooth

It has very good philosophical and artistic background. Every shot is beautiful and it gives you the perfect cinematic experience. The only downside is its long duration.

It's perhaps overly indulgent but that's not to say nothing happens. There's a whole lot going on and I appreciated the change of pase from most other movies. And there's certainly no denying it's quite beauty and impeccable craftsmanship.