Hamaguchi and Ôe’s screenplay for Drive my Car received countless nominations and awards. Expanding upon a short story of the same name by Murakami, the screenwriters also incorporate two other stories from Men Without Women. From “Scheherazade,” they add Oto’s (Kirishima) penchant for storytelling after sex, which allows for the climactic completion of the break-and-enter tale as told by Takatsuki (Okada). When Takatsuki delivers his tearful monologue, the film fully develops several themes: we may never know someone, no matter how many years we spend together, but importantly, that doesn’t (or shouldn’t) make the relationship and bond any less significant.