“Maborosi” is based on the novel “Maboroshi no Hikari” “by Teru Miyamoto. The title of the book and movie adaptation translates to “phantom light.” Writing the screenplay is Yoshihisa Ogita. Hirokazu Koreeda's first fictional feature would be a critical and financial success. It would be a major hit at the 1995 Venice Film Festival, winning a Golden Osella Award for Best Cinematography. Many viewers have described the feature as having the calm stillness of a Yasujiro Ozu picture with the emotional tone of a work by Mikio Naruse.
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The story begins in Osaka. Yumiko is a happy young woman who embraces life and dearly loves her husband, Ikuo, and child, Yuichi. She is frequently troubled by dreams regarding the passing of her grandmother. Despite this, she finds happiness in her new life. Unfortunately, tragedy strikes when her husband dies...
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The story begins in Osaka. Yumiko is a happy young woman who embraces life and dearly loves her husband, Ikuo, and child, Yuichi. She is frequently troubled by dreams regarding the passing of her grandmother. Despite this, she finds happiness in her new life. Unfortunately, tragedy strikes when her husband dies...
- 6/19/2023
- by Sean Barry
- AsianMoviePulse
Various themes run throughout the work of Hirokazu Koreeda. Without doubt an auteur, there are two key themes that feature regularly in his work: a breaking away from the conventional family unit; and memory, specifically holding on to the past. Within the former, fathers are often portrayed as weak individuals, some worthy of sympathy, some not. Often, they are absent cowards, enigmas and/or bitter men, but all have a difficulty facing up to the responsibility of fatherhood.
Most of his films pose the question of ‘what makes a good father?' though often this could be interpreted as ‘is it possible to be a good father?' with many seemingly not up to the task. Here are five examples of the difficult questions Koreeda poses of fatherhood – where fathers are failing the expectations of their role – and where he offers them no easy answers.
1. Maborosi (1995)
Following the inexplicable suicide...
Most of his films pose the question of ‘what makes a good father?' though often this could be interpreted as ‘is it possible to be a good father?' with many seemingly not up to the task. Here are five examples of the difficult questions Koreeda poses of fatherhood – where fathers are failing the expectations of their role – and where he offers them no easy answers.
1. Maborosi (1995)
Following the inexplicable suicide...
- 5/5/2023
- by Andrew Thayne
- AsianMoviePulse
In the run-up to Fri day's New York re lease of Hirokazu Kore-eda's "Still Walking" (2008), Bam Rose Cinemas has mounted a retrospective of the Japanese helmer's work.
Some of the films screened last week, but there are more to come. Among them is the beautiful "Maborosi" (1995), the first fiction feature by Kore-eda, who previously had concerned himself with documentaries.
It tells the story of a young wife (Makiko Esumi) who is left alone with her newborn child after her husband dies, apparently a suicide.
She remarries and moves to...
Some of the films screened last week, but there are more to come. Among them is the beautiful "Maborosi" (1995), the first fiction feature by Kore-eda, who previously had concerned himself with documentaries.
It tells the story of a young wife (Makiko Esumi) who is left alone with her newborn child after her husband dies, apparently a suicide.
She remarries and moves to...
- 8/23/2009
- by By V.A. MUSETTO
- NYPost.com
MONTREAL -- "Loving is not changing a thought into action. It is the thought itself." So begins "Inochi", an official competition entry and world premiere here slated for commercial release in Japan in the fall. A well-intentioned tale of birth, terminal disease and redemption, based on a trio of autobiographical novels by Miri Yu, director Tetsuo Shinohara's film is mostly somber, well-performed by a small cast and at least a bit uplifting at the end, but it's not destined for significant distribution beyond festivals and Japanese-language markets.
For nearly two hours the film deals with two characters who face major life challenges with each other's help, even though they were once lovers who separated years earlier. "Inochi" opens with writer Yu (Makiko Esumi) breaking up with the married man who she has gotten pregnant with. Having contemplated suicide in the past and facing a husbandless future, Yu is fully aware that she's entered a dangerous time.
She seeks out old boyfriend and theater director Yutaka Higashi (Etsushi Toyokawa), an energetic, confident, demanding chain smoker about to come crashing to earth. Indeed, not much more time goes by before he's been diagnosed with terminal cancer that's spread to several organs. Both feeling that the 10 years they spent together were as close to a "family" as they've ever had, his moving in with her for the rough times to come is a reason to keep wanting to live -- for both of them.
But there's no medical miracle to help Higashi, even when he goes to New York and tries different treatments. He does make it to the birth of Yu's son. Although his goal is to live to hear the boy say his name, holding the newborn in the hospital nursery is a form of rebirth that also strengthens Yu's resolve to live. Taking morphine and starting to hallucinate, his body deteriorating, Higashi reminds her that once she promised to kill him if he became incurably ill and predicts that once he goes, she'll follow him.
While it's very sad to watch Higashi fade away, there's little reason to fear that Yu will do something tragic once he's gone. Indeed, it's Yu's mother in an earlier scene who correctly predicts that her troublesome daughter will never return to her gloomy self once she has the baby.
With a few flashbacks to happier days, but nothing unique in the filmmaking department, "Inochi" is less emotionally manipulative than it sounds, saving the best moment for the parting words of the two leads. With a more recent girlfriend taking over for Yu as time gets short, the death of Higashi is not lingered on. The happiest ending possible, given the circumstances, is a welcome relief to the film's thick atmosphere of disease and bad dreams.
INOCHI
TBS, Toei Co.
Credits:
Director: Tetsuo Shinohara
Screenwriter: Sumio Omotri
Based on novels by: Miri Yu
Producers: Morihiro Kodama, Masao Sato, Osamu Kamei, Teizo Aoyama, Toshiyuki Takagi
Executive producer: Norihiko Tani
Director of photography: Takeshi Hamada
Production designer: Hidetaka Ozawa
Editor: Isao Tomita
Music: Tatsuya Murayama
Cast:
Yu Miri: Makiko Esumi
Yutaka Higashi: Etsushi Toyokawa
Running time -- 111 minutes
No MPAA rating...
For nearly two hours the film deals with two characters who face major life challenges with each other's help, even though they were once lovers who separated years earlier. "Inochi" opens with writer Yu (Makiko Esumi) breaking up with the married man who she has gotten pregnant with. Having contemplated suicide in the past and facing a husbandless future, Yu is fully aware that she's entered a dangerous time.
She seeks out old boyfriend and theater director Yutaka Higashi (Etsushi Toyokawa), an energetic, confident, demanding chain smoker about to come crashing to earth. Indeed, not much more time goes by before he's been diagnosed with terminal cancer that's spread to several organs. Both feeling that the 10 years they spent together were as close to a "family" as they've ever had, his moving in with her for the rough times to come is a reason to keep wanting to live -- for both of them.
But there's no medical miracle to help Higashi, even when he goes to New York and tries different treatments. He does make it to the birth of Yu's son. Although his goal is to live to hear the boy say his name, holding the newborn in the hospital nursery is a form of rebirth that also strengthens Yu's resolve to live. Taking morphine and starting to hallucinate, his body deteriorating, Higashi reminds her that once she promised to kill him if he became incurably ill and predicts that once he goes, she'll follow him.
While it's very sad to watch Higashi fade away, there's little reason to fear that Yu will do something tragic once he's gone. Indeed, it's Yu's mother in an earlier scene who correctly predicts that her troublesome daughter will never return to her gloomy self once she has the baby.
With a few flashbacks to happier days, but nothing unique in the filmmaking department, "Inochi" is less emotionally manipulative than it sounds, saving the best moment for the parting words of the two leads. With a more recent girlfriend taking over for Yu as time gets short, the death of Higashi is not lingered on. The happiest ending possible, given the circumstances, is a welcome relief to the film's thick atmosphere of disease and bad dreams.
INOCHI
TBS, Toei Co.
Credits:
Director: Tetsuo Shinohara
Screenwriter: Sumio Omotri
Based on novels by: Miri Yu
Producers: Morihiro Kodama, Masao Sato, Osamu Kamei, Teizo Aoyama, Toshiyuki Takagi
Executive producer: Norihiko Tani
Director of photography: Takeshi Hamada
Production designer: Hidetaka Ozawa
Editor: Isao Tomita
Music: Tatsuya Murayama
Cast:
Yu Miri: Makiko Esumi
Yutaka Higashi: Etsushi Toyokawa
Running time -- 111 minutes
No MPAA rating...
- 10/3/2002
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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