Gobangiri
Japan’s beloved period film genre is taken into contemporary hands. This is a lovingly conceived and meticulously executed throwback that revitalizes the genre.
Yanagida Kakunoshin (Kusanagi Tsuyoshi) was accused of a crime he did not commit. Having lost his wife and been chased out of his hometown of Hikone, he now lives with his daughter Okinu (Kiyohara Kaya) as a ronin (unemployed samurai) in a poor tenement house in Edo. Kakunoshin is an honest man, and also an expert go player; even on the go board is he a paragon of samurai virtue, never stooping to tricks to win. One day, Kakunoshin learns the truth about the false accusation that brought these tragic circumstances upon him from his former colleagues. Together, he and his daughter resolve to take revenge for the sake of their honour. This period drama shines a contemporary light on the genre’s very traditional subject matters, presenting conflicts of honour and revenge punctuated by emotional abysses, flashes of violence and battles on the go board. (Subtitles)
Japan 2024 Shiraishi Kazuya 129m