Synopsis
Based on a novel by multi-award-winning author Shuichi Yoshida (Villain, Parade), this bittersweet film is the latest offering from the director of The Woodsman & the Rain and stars Kengo Kora (Norwegian Wood, Fish Story) & Yuriko Yoshitaka (Gantz, Robo-G).
Yonosuke is a typical Japanese on-screen hero: socially awkward, childish and naive, but always cheerful and charming. We meet him when he moves from Nagasaki to Tokyo in the late eighties at the height of the city’s economic boom. Despite his odd character he manages to make new friends at university, joins a samba class and falls in love with an older woman. Sixteen years later his friends are all reminiscing over their college days, thinking back on how Yonosuke changed their lives. A heart-warming, crowd-pleasing comedy that takes a sudden dramatic turn.
About the Director
Born in 1977, Shuichi Okita studied film at the Nihon University’s College of Art. His short film, “Pots and Friends” (2002), won the Grand Prize at the Mito Short Film Festival. His first feature, “The Wonderful World”, was released in 2006. After writing and directing for TV, he directed his second feature, “The Chef of the South Polar” (2009), which enjoyed a long theatrical run in Japan and earned him acclaim overseas. His most recent work, “The Woodsman and the Rain” (2011) – a lighthearted look at the team effort behind filmmaking – was awarded the Special Jury Prize at the 2011 Tokyo International Film Festival
