Jul 4

WIT Life #106: Golden Slumber

Anecdote Article, Film, Translating/Interpreting, Uncategorized, WIT Life Add Comment (2)

WITLife is a periodic series written by professional Writer/Interpreter/Translator Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken CIR, 2000-03). She starts her day by watching Fujisankei’s newscast in Japanese, and here she shares some of the interesting tidbits and trends together with her own observations.

Last week was the start of the Japan Cuts film festival at Japan Society, where this year 24 films will be featured.  This is the largest lineup ever and includes a wide variety of films.  The Japan Society allows those who offer to volunteer at the festival the chance to stay and view the movie for free!  I have decided to take advantage of this opportunity, and plan to help out during a couple of days of the festival.  Stay tuned for reviews of the many movies I will have the chance to sample!

However, my first time at the festival was as a customer last Friday for the screening of the conspiracy theory comedy Golden Slumber.  The plot of a deliveryman being framed for the assassination of the prime minister was an instant draw, and the movie itself went beyond my expectations.  I thought it would be a pure political thriller, but it highlighted sentimental aspects based on the friendships the accused has cultivated in both the past and present and also had a healthy dose of humor.  You will be on the edge of your seat waiting to see what the next development is.

Especially interesting is the way the film incorporates flashbacks to highlight what is occurring in the present, sometimes showing the same scene at different stages of the movie when our read of it is different due to new information.  I wasn’t familiar with actor Masato Sakai who played the accused, but rounding out his group of friends are the popular Yuko Takeuchi, drama fixture Hidetaka Yoshioka and comedian Gekidan Hitori.  The last chance to catch Golden Slumber during this festival is at Lincoln Center tonight at 8:30.