Redemption has a cost…
Mikami (Koji Yakusho) is a man who lives his life in a way that is rooted in the code of the yakuza that he belonged to, and it does not fit into Japan’s orderly social welfare system as he gets ready to re-enter society after fulfilling a sentence for murder. The world into which he is suddenly catapulted is one just doesn’t understand and being pitied or looked down is something that simply he does not comprehend. And as Japanese society wants to exploit him and discard him, he struggles to find his way back into a meaningful life.
It’s no wonder that director Miwa Nishikawa worked under the great Hirokazu Kore-eda as Under The Open Sky is a piece of human drama with heart and nuance that is so remarkably compelling as it uses scope and humanity frailty as we see a man out of time trying to find his way back into society.
Koji Yakusho gives us a heartbreaking performance as we get this man who is both fragile and likeable but also a little scary as flashes of his violent past keep bubbling with this man who is fighting a system who just doesn’t want him to be able to move on and find peace.
Under The Open Sky is a film that we go to film festivals to see. In the regular market place, this film gets lost in noise, but it’s a gripping tale of humanity that demands an audience.
- Release Date: 9/10/2020
