Directed by:
Amir NaderiCinematography:
橋本桂二Cast:
Hidetoshi Nishijima, Takako Tokiwa, Takashi Sasano, Shun Sugata, Denden, 鈴木卓爾, 中村育二, 竹井亮介, Satoshi Nikaidô, Yasushi YasudaPlots(1)
Feeling the influence of classic Japanese cinema, New York-based Iranian director Amir Naderi decided to shoot his new picture in the land of the Rising Sun. He set the story of Shuji, a young filmmaker and lover of classic cinema, on the young man’s apartment terrace (which also serves as a film club), but also in a bar where Yakuza thugs congregate. Shuji is being forced to pay off a debt his murdered brother owes the mafia. Their uninviting establishment becomes the locus of a bizarre spectacle, another of Shuji’s “directorial events.” To wit, the avid film fan allows himself to be used as a punching bag for the amusement of the aggressive gangsters, thereby paying off the debt. Naderi conceives his bitter cry in defense of Art Film as a metaphorical lampoon against the injustices which today’s filmmakers must suffer if they decide to stand firm and uncompromising by their personal visions. (Karlovy Vary International Film Festival)
(more)Cast
![Hidetoshi Nishijima](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w88h116crop/files/images/creator/photos/169/283/169283934_thxczc.jpg)
Hidetoshi Nishijima
Japan
Best movies:
The Wind Rises (2013)
Dolls (2002)
Vacation (2007)
![Takako Tokiwa](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w88h116crop/files/images/creator/photos/157/886/157886779_dc7e25.jpg)
Takako Tokiwa
Japan
Best movies:
Awaking (2006)
20th Century Boys: Chapter Two - The Last Hope (2009)
20 Century Boys (2008)
![Takashi Sasano](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w88h116crop/files/images/creator/photos/168/085/168085731_bv9gah.jpg)
Takashi Sasano
Japan
Best movies:
Departures (2008)
Our Mother (2008)
The Hidden Blade (2004)
![Shun Sugata](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w88h116crop/files/images/creator/photos/000/274/274023_3c966d.jpg)
Shun Sugata
Japan
Best movies:
The Last Samurai (2003)
Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)
Vacation (2007)
![Denden](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w88h116crop/files/images/creator/photos/165/123/165123826_228976.jpg)
Denden
Japan
Best movies:
Our Mother (2008)
Eureka (2000)
Ikigami: The Ultimate Limit (2008)
鈴木卓爾
Japan
Best movies:
Suspect X (2008)
My Secret Cache (1997)
Cut (2011)
![中村育二](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w88h116crop/files/images/creator/photos/160/634/160634297_45625e.jpg)
中村育二
Japan
Best movies:
Half a Confession (2004)
Death Note: The Last Name (2006)
Admiral Yamamoto (2011)
竹井亮介
Japan
Best movies:
Happy Flight (2008)
The Climbers High (2008)
Air Doll (2009)
Satoshi Nikaidô
Japan
Best movies:
The Last Samurai (2003)
Babel (2006)
Guilty of Romance (2011)
Yasushi Yasuda
Japan
Best movies:
Cut (2011)
Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead (2023)