Ryusuke Hamaguchi believes every film is simultaneously a documentary and a work of fiction.
In short: The Japanese filmmaker behind Drive My Car rejects the binary of truth and fabrication. By capturing actors in singular, unrepeatable moments, he argues that the camera lens inherently documents reality, even within the most structured narrative. His approach transforms performance into a profound study of human presence and emotional resonance.
Born in 1978, Ryusuke Hamaguchi rose to international prominence through a series of critically acclaimed films that challenge traditional storytelling. After studying under Kiyoshi Kurosawa at the Tokyo University of the Arts, Hamaguchi developed a distinct aesthetic that often blends improvisational techniques with rigorous staging. His five-hour drama Happy Hour, for instance, emerged from workshops with non-professional actors, a process that allowed him to explore the intersection of lived experience and scripted performance.
Hamaguchi’s work frequently examines the complexities of human connection, often using multilingual staging to strip away the reliance on literal language. In Drive My Car, he found that when actors do not share a common tongue, they rely more heavily on body language and vocal tone, leading to performances he describes as simpler and stronger. This focus on the physical reality of the actor is central to his philosophy; he views the act of filming as a documentary process because the performance occurring in front of the lens happens only once.
His career has been marked by significant accolades, including the Best International Feature Film Oscar for Drive My Car and the Grand Jury Prize at Venice for Evil Does Not Exist. Despite his success, he remains a self-described cinephile with a deep appreciation for Hollywood classics and a wide range of global directors. Whether through his anthology films or his recent French-language debut All of a Sudden, Hamaguchi continues to disrupt conventional narrative arcs, often seeking to leave his endings intentionally imperfect to avoid the feeling of a closed circle.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Ryusuke Hamaguchi
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