What to read, watch, and listen to if you lovedDrive My Car
Ryusuke Hamaguchi · Film · 2021
If you loved Drive My Car, start with Move to Heaven (Yoon Ji-ryun, 2021) — a series on the same thread. Below: 4 books, 4 series and 2 podcasts, each matched to Drive My Car across media.
If Drive My Car moved you, it is because you appreciate how slowly peeling back layers of grief reveals hidden truths.
Books on the same thread
Norwegian Wood (ノルウェイの森)
Haruki Murakami · Book · 1987
Explores: Loss, Grief, Nostalgia.
Like Drive My Car, this novel explores the suffocating weight of loss and the way introspective characters attempt to navigate the void left by those who have departed their lives.
The Passenger
Cormac McCarthy · Book · 2022
Explores: Grief, Conspiracy, Existentialism.
Much like the protagonist of Drive My Car, the salvage diver in this story carries the heavy burden of past trauma while navigating a world defined by secrets and existential dread.
A Little Life
Hanya Yanagihara · Book · 2016
Shares a thread with Drive My Car: character study.
This narrative mirrors the deep character study found in Drive My Car, focusing on the endurance of the human spirit when faced with the lingering, painful shadow of childhood trauma.
The Hell Screen and Other Stories
Ryunosuke Akutagawa · Book · 1918
Explores: Moral Ambiguity, Obsession, Vanity.
These stories echo the artistic preoccupation of Drive My Car, examining how the act of creation often forces individuals to confront the moral ambiguity buried deep within their own suffering.
Series on the same thread
In Treatment
Rodrigo García · Series · 2008
Shares a thread with Drive My Car: Character Study.
If the clinical yet intimate confessions of Drive My Car resonated with you, you will find this series captures the exact same tension between professional distance and raw emotional vulnerability.
Move to Heaven
Yoon Ji-ryun · Series · 2021
Shares a thread with Drive My Car: Melodrama.
This series shares the gentle, melancholic focus of Drive My Car, demonstrating how processing the belongings and stories of the dead becomes a profound act of healing for the living.
Your Lie in April
Series · 2014
Shares 2 threads with Drive My Car: Redemption, Melodrama.
This show reflects the central premise of Drive My Car, illustrating how art serves as a necessary vessel for characters to process grief and rediscover their voice after profound loss.
Fleabag
Phoebe Waller-Bridge · Series · 2016
Explores: grief, female protagonist, fourth wall breaks.
While tonally distinct, this series matches the unflinching gaze Drive My Car casts on a grief-riddled protagonist attempting to reconcile their internal monologue with the demands of their external reality.
Podcasts on the same thread
Where Should We Begin? with Esther Perel
Podcast
Explores: relationships, marriage, family dynamics.
Just as the characters in Drive My Car find clarity through conversation, this podcast offers a front-row seat to the raw, intimate dialogue required to resolve deep-seated personal and relationship conflicts.
The Truth
The Truth · Podcast · 2026
Explores: human condition, experimental storytelling, moral ambiguity.
These cinematic audio stories mirror the structural precision of Drive My Car, using focused, short-form narratives to probe the complexities of the human condition and the ambiguity of our choices.
Keep exploring
Common questions
Is Drive My Car based on a specific event?
Drive My Car follows the story of Yusuke Kafuku, a stage actor and director who travels to Hiroshima to direct a production of Uncle Vanya. While there, he processes the loss of his wife and forms a bond with his driver, Misaki.
What is the primary setting for the events in Drive My Car?
The majority of Drive My Car takes place in Hiroshima. Yusuke Kafuku moves to this city to participate in a theater festival, where he meets his driver, Misaki, and begins to uncover secrets from his past during their time spent in the car.
How does the relationship between Yusuke and Misaki develop in Drive My Car?
In Drive My Car, the relationship between Yusuke and Misaki evolves through their shared time in the car. As they travel together, the two characters move past their introverted natures to share heartfelt confessions and reveal secrets regarding their personal pasts.
What drives the plot of Drive My Car?
The plot of Drive My Car is driven by Yusuke Kafuku’s struggle to cope with the loss of his wife. His journey to Hiroshima to direct a play and his subsequent relationship with his driver, Misaki, serve as the catalyst for his emotional processing.