After The Storm

We proudly present a premiere film of size “After the Storm”, the latest Kore-eda film, brought to you by our main sponsor Yamagata.

At 19:30 Japan-Square will welcome everyone and we will give the floor to Luk Van Haute and Geert van Bremen (subtitler of this film) to introduce this film in a fitting manner.

As director Hirokazu Kore-eda had already announced during his visit to Film Fest Gent in 2015, his latest film is not an adaptation of a manga, like “Our Little Sister”, but again based on a self-conceived idea and a self-written scenario. Kore-eda is known for the gentle, warm way in which he films human drama. (For example, his masterpiece “Nobody Knows” won the Grand Prix at Film Fest Gent in 2004). “After the Storm” is no exception.

The film revolves around a family whose dreams have not come true as expected, with the central characters being the divorced son Ryota, who never really grew up, and his elderly mother Yoshiko. Ryota won a literary prize fifteen years earlier, but has never been able to match that success. He now works as a detective for a living, with the excuse that it is research for his next novel. He still has feelings for his ex-wife Kyoko and also follows her movements. In this way he discovers to his unpleasant surprise that she has a new boyfriend.

One evening Ryota, Kyoko and their son Shingo accidentally end up together at mother Yoshiko’s house, and due to a typhoon they are forced to spend the night there…

Kirin Kiki (as Yoshiko) and Hiroshi Abe (as Ryota) previously appeared as mother and son in Kore-eda’s “Still Walking”. And more familiar faces from his previous films appear, such as Lily Franky (as Ryota’s boss). Thanks to this excellent cast, you can enjoy witty but also poignant conversations. All this makes “After the Storm” a sincere drama that avoids clichés and portrays this broken family in an honest and powerful way.

We present you with a must-see on the opening night, and as befits Japan-Square, the evening does not end immediately after the film. You are all invited to enjoy Japanese snacks from our beloved GOHAN team and a glass of sake (entirely up to you).

So make sure you book quickly, and take leave the day after is also not an unnecessary luxury.

AWARDS:

• Online Film Critics Society Awards 2017 – OFCS award ( Best Non- U.S. Release )

NOMINATED:

• Cannes Film Festival 2016 ( Un certain regard award – Hirokazu Koreeda)
• Chicago International Film Festival 2016 ( Gold Hugo – Best feature Hirokazu Koreeda )

All images: © 2016 “After The Storm”