36th cleveland international film festival :: march 22 - april 1, 2012
Bare Essence of LifeBare Essence of LifeBare Essence of Life
Bare Essence of LifeBare Essence of Life
Director:
Satoko Yokohama

Run Time: 120 minutes

Country: JAPAN

Year: 2009
Share:
facebook twitter digg
Send to a friend:
go

Bare Essence of Life (Urutora mirakuru rabu sutôrî)

  (login to rate)

Life is relatively uneventful for 25-year-old Yojin. He awakens every morning to multiple alarms, checks the whiteboard where he tracks the activities of the day, and tends to the organic garden his grandmother has charged him with. But Yojin is different, very different. Although his life seems fairly predictable, he is caught in a world between fantasy and reality. That changes when Machiko (Miss Shinsen) arrives from Tokyo. She is recovering from the death of her boyfriend in a car crash. Machiko has agreed to serve as a substitute teacher at the local school. When Yojin notices her, he gets a feeling he’s never had before. Machiko is a bit put-off by his unusual attempts to gain her attention, but their relationship grows. Yojin begins to rearrange his life and daily actions for Machiko, a choice that might not be of good consequence. BARE ESSENCE OF LIFE questions the conventions many hold themselves to in society, relinquishing the freedom that comes from being able to express who you are. It is a film reflecting the miracles of everyday life within a framework of fantasy, drama, dark humor, and romance. (In Japanese with subtitles) – CCP

Sidebars Pacific Pearls
Producer Asako Nakano, Tomoo Tsuchii
Screenplay Satoko Yokohama
Cinematography Ryuto Kondo
Editing Shinichi Fushima
Principal Cast Kenichi Matsuyama, Kumiko Aso, Yoshio Harada, Misako Watanabe
Director Bio Satoko Yokohama was born in Aomori, Japan and studied filmmaking at the Film School of Tokyo. She has completed mostly short films. BARE ESSENCE OF LIFE is her first feature film.
Select Filmography BARE ESSENCE OF LIFE (2009)
Print Source Nikkatsu Corporation
matsuda475@nikkatsu.co.jp
www.nikkatsu.com

Past Screenings

Monday, March 22, 2010 at 9:30 PM
Tuesday, March 23, 2010 at 4:20 PM

Member Comments

Want to leave your own comment? Login or join now.

There are no comments for this film. Login to comment.