Co-presented by the Yanai Initiative for Globalizing Japanese Humanities
A mysterious and intoxicating pop romance, Ryūsuke Hamaguchi’s follow-up to the acclaimed Happy Hour—adapted by Hamaguchi and co-writer Sachiko Tanaka from a novel by celebrated Japanese author Tomoka Shibasaki—begins with Asako, a young woman who meets and falls madly in love with a drifter, Baku, who one day drifts right out of her life. Two years later, working in Tokyo, Asako sees Baku again—or, rather, a young, solid businessman named Ryohei who bears a striking resemblance to her old flame. They begin building a happy life together until traces of Asako’s past start to resurface.
Hamaguchi said this about the film: "I personally don’t know any other love novel than Tomoka Shibasaki's Netemo Sametemo (from which Asako I & II originates) that was so truly compelling in describing how falling in love is a mystic force akin to magic or else a curse. Once I finished reading the novel, I personally suggested to produce a film based it. When it luckily became a reality, I really thought to be as close as possible to the style of the original author. That is making possible the coexistence of the minute description of everyday life and the sudden unfolding of absurd events."
Acropolis is proud to welcome Shibasaki, who will briefly introduce Asako I & II and particpate in a post-screening discussion about the film. A Grasshopper Film release.
TRT: 119 min
In person: Tomoka Shibasaki
"An amusing essay in amorous delusion." —Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian
"Brilliant melodramatic flourishes adorn the blank center of this passionate fable." —Richard Brody, The New Yorker
"Like Happy Hour, Asako I & II is a parable of the grace—and, yes, happiness—that spring from resignation." —Chuck Bowen, Slant Magazine
"[A] peculiarly potent story about life's unexpected little ruptures—those odd coincidences, repetitions and shifts in perspective that can set off aftershocks in the human heart." —Justin Chang, The Los Angeles Times
"Asako proceeds from a premise that flirts with the mystic, but Hamaguchi executes it with elegantly rendered realism... The result is a picture that is simultaneously engaging and disconcerting." —Glenn Kenny, The New York Times
(Available to download after screening date)