Japan Celebrates Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Four ‘Drive My Car’ Oscar Nominations

variety.com:

Mark Schilling Japan CorrespondentThe Oscar nominations for “Drive My Car,” Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s three-hour drama about a man dealing with the death of his wife, have thrilled the director’s native Japan.News of the four Academy Awards nominations was reported by all major Japanese media, from the most serious Nikkei business daily to the sports tabloids whose usual coverage of local art films is zero.The news also lit up Twitter.“An Academy Award nomination for Best Picture is a great accomplishment.

I think the melding between Haruki Murakami and Chekhov has created a universality that can be felt around the world,” said Twitter user YasioE.“I really want it to win the Best Picture award, don’t you?

Judging from the state of the awards race, I think it can win it. And as a film based on Murakami’s work, I think it should win the Adapted Screenplay award too,” said another with the name Izumi Ota.

Hamaguchi himself linked the film’s acclaim to Murakami in a statement that he issued on Tuesday (Japanese time), after he landing in Germany for the upcoming Berlin Film Festival.Describing himself as “surprised from the bottom of my heart,” Hamaguchi said: “The basis for the praise (this film is getting) is the universality of Haruki Murakami’s story.”“Thanks to these nominations, I hope that the wonderful performances of the actors and the work of the supporting staff will be seen by even more viewers,” his statement continued.In addition to a first-ever best picture nod for a Japanese film, “Drive My Car” has been nominated for best director, best adapted screenplay and best international feature.Released in Japan in August of last year, “Drive My Car” earned a modest JPY30 million ($260,000), unofficially ranking at 151th.