Tony Takitani (2004)

Director

• Jun Ichikawa

Starring

• Issey Ogata
• Rie Miyazawa
• Shinohara Takahumi
• Hidetoshi Nishijima
• Shizuka Moriyama

Last On

02:15-03:55 Mon 17th Aug 2009 100m
Film4

Synopsis

Having excelled in Aleksandr Sokurov's The Sun, Issey Ogata impresses alongside Rie Miyazawa (each taking dual roles) in this exquisite study of inhibited passion, misjudged obsession and lamented admonition. Based on Haruki Murakami's beguiling short story, it employs a third-person narration to tell the story of a lonely illustrator who advertises for a lookalike to wear his shopaholic wife's wardrobe. Director Jun Ichikawa makes sublime use of the camera and his leisurely lateral movements not only evoke Japanese scroll art, but also reinforce the titular character's feelings of regret. With its shades of Vertigo and haunting Ryuichi Sakamoto score, this melancholic paean to beauty and pleasure is a bittersweet delight.