Koji Fukada's latest is a heartbreaking film that is the definition of bittersweet.
Charting the life of Taeko. She is married to a nice man named Jiro. When her son from a previous relationship dies tragically she turns away from her husband and tries to help the boy's father, a deaf homeless man.
If you've seen Fukada's previous films you know that you are going to be worked over emotionally. The film does that in spades for better and worse. Its a hell of a ride. It maybe be Fukada's best film, which is saying something because his films are so damn good.
What I love about this film is the use of long takes. Normally long takes are used to show things happening in real time, here Fukada uses them to stretch out the moment. Some shots run longer than normal because he will allow a moment to happen after the "action" has happened. The final shots of the film have been haunting me for weeks as a result.
I love this film. Its a film that is pure magic. It has a feel of life at the time of tragedy that we don't normally see in the movies. It feels lived. The cast, which I've seen elsewhere disappear into their roles.
I can't recommend this film enough.
See it when it plays at First Look this weekend or when Oscilloscope releases it later in the spring.
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