Drive My Car

Native Title: ??????????
Also Known As: Doraibu Mai Ka
Screenwriter & Director: Hamaguchi Ryusuke
Screenwriter: Oe Takamasa
Genres: Drama
Tags: Adapted From A Short Story, Multilingual, Grief, Chauffeur Female Lead, Screenwriter Female Lead, Married Male Lead, Stage Actor Male Lead, Director Male Lead, Hearing Impaired Supporting Character, Stoic Female Lead

There is an emotional connection/ bonding process central to the plot. The main characters in both have large overlaps in their age, status, and experiences.

Both films explore the inner lives of emotionally reserved men through stillness, routine, and human connection. If you appreciated Drive My Car for its quiet grief, subtle character work, and visual storytelling, Perfect Days delivers a more stripped-down but equally moving experience. It’s about how we carry sorrow, seek beauty in simplicity, and remain open—however softly—to the people life places in our path.

In both shows the leads are socially awkward outcasts. They also idolize their popular love interest.