Cinematic Point Of View

When I stumble upon movies like “Under The Open Sky,” I am reminded why I love cinema. It is such an unexpectedly moving drama about life after incarceration. It left me feeling more connected to the human experience.

Story

A lifelong Yakuza named Masao, played by Koji Yakusho, is released from prison after serving 13 years for murder. He soon finds himself very unequipped for life on the outside due to his time inside, his advanced age, and a childhood that left him emotionally stunted. Abandoned by his mother, Masao grew up in the criminal world of the yakuza. Once free, he attempts to find employment, earn a living, and look for his long lost mother.

Characters

This movie is all about great characters. Koji Yakusho bring Masao perfectly to life. You see it in his eyes. He is full of life experience yet also as innocent and naive as a child. Very few people have been there for him over the years except for criminals. He learned all the wrong things growing up and now as an adult, released from his cage, he stumbles again and again trying to find a way to stand on his own two feet while also maintaining his own integrity. His yakuza ego flares up when met when any obstacle and he works hard to curb this reaction. Learning to retrain the brain to respond to the world, instead of reacting, takes time. You get to see this unfold in Masao over the course of the film. It’s a beautiful thing.

There are compassionate people all around him that are empathetic and want to help him. There are also people around that want to use him for their own personal gains.

An upfront and brutally honest TV producer, played by Masami Nagasawa, looking to exploit his release from prison, and anger issues, for her reality series.

A young videographer working for Nagasawa’s character, shadows Masao hoping to make a name for himself.

An elderly couple offering advice and friendship.

His parole officer providing support and guidance.

An empathetic grocery store manager offering respect and friendship.

Masao has difficulty navigating these emotional waters of friend or foe. Trust is hard. Bridges are burnt easily. He gets frustrated by the smallest defeat or the most minor of annoyances. His temper flares and those around him in his new life do what they can to keep him on the right path as he learns about himself.

Craft

I am really impressed with Director Miwa Nishikawa‘s work here. She builds a film full of complex characters in realistic urban settings bringing humor and emotional depth to every scene. I was not familiar with her work before this film but looking at her resume of films on IMDB, I can’t wait to explore some of her previous movies.

Conclusion

If you’ve read this blog before, I don’t spend time writing about anything I don’t like. This film was a total shot in the dark and really caught me off guard. I loved it! It’s one that will stay with me for a long time and recommend to others.

Give it a watch and leave me a comment. Would love to hear your view!

Also, in the “The Universe is a beautiful connected thing” category, I realized half way through this film that Koji Yakusho is also the lead in “Perfect Days.” At the time of watching this film I had not yet seen that one. I’ll likely do a short review of that one soon as it is also excellent, and in many ways “Under The Open Sky” is a brilliant companion piece to the character in “Perfect Days.” I wonder if Wim Wender’s was in some way inspired by this this movie or if it’s just a happy coincidence. The world may never know.