Sûtsu wo Kau
2008 / 47m - Japan
Drama
2.5*/5.0*
Buy a Suit poster

Watches

November 26, 2021

2.5*/5.0*

A little DIY project that marked Jun Ichikawa's sudden departure from this world. He died on the night he finished editing this film, a little indie drama shot with amateur actors (his friends, basically). It's not really the magnum opus you'd hope a man like Ichikawa would leave us with, but it's not a terrible film.

The plot is pretty basic, it's more of an excuse to follow the main characters around. A woman receives a postcard with a rather cryptic message on it, vaguely revealing the location of her lost brother. She travels to Tokyo to track him down, and finds him living under a bridge as a homeless person.

Don't go in expecting a polished, stylized film, like Ichikawa's more commercial projects. It's really a more free-flowing indie drama. There are three characters that are loosely connected, each of them is given some time in the spotlight. The camera work is basic, the soundtrack does add a bit of atmosphere. There are moments of beauty here, but it's not really enough to stand out in such a densely populated genre.