The 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…
