Directed by Juzo Itami • 1993 • Japan
Starring Rentaro Mikuni, Masahiko Tsugawa, Nobuko Miyamoto
Director Juzo Itami applies his unfailingly light touch to that most serious of topics—death—in this slyly self-reflexive, bittersweet comedy. Buhei Mikai (Rentaro Mikuni) is a successful Japanese movie director in his sixties who becomes increasingly ill while working on his latest film. Though his family, friends, and doctor try to keep the secret of his terminal cancer from him, Buhei gradually comes to realize the truth of his condition, leading him on a journey of despair, anger, and, ultimately, acceptance.
Directed by Juzo Itami • 1995 • Japan
Starring Atsuro Watanabe, Hinako Saeki, Masayuki Imai
Based on a novel by Nobel prizewinner Kenzaburo Oe (the brother-in-law of director Juzo Itami) this radically empathetic melodrama—inspired by the story of the writer’s own children—evokes the world of a ...
Directed by Juzo Itami • 1996 • Japan
Starring Masahiko Tsugawa, Nobuko Miyamoto, Ryunosuke Kaneda
In this vibrant comedy, failing supermarket manager Goro (Masahiko Tsugawa) hires Hanako (Nobuko Miyamoto), an old classmate, to help him compete with the new rival grocery store in town. Soon, Han...
Directed by Juzo Itami • 1997 • Japan
Starring Nobuko Miyamoto, Masahiko Nishimura, Yuji Murata
Juzo Itami’s final film features a dazzling performance from his wife and frequent leading lady Nobuko Miyamoto as Biwako, a middle-aged movie-star diva who is the sole witness to a grisly murder. Whe...
