Sorekara (1985)

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Director:

Yoshimitsu Morita

Writers:

Soseki Natsume (novel)
Tomomi Tsutsui (screenplay)

Release Date:

8 April 1987 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot Keywords:

Based On Novel

Awards:

18 wins & 7 nominations

Cast

Yusaku Matsuda	...	Daisuke Nagai
Miwako Fujitani	...	Michiyo Hiraoka
Kaoru Kobayashi	...	Tsunejiro Hiraoka
Morio Kazama	...	Suganuma, Michiyo's brother
Chishu Ryu	...	Toku Nagai
Katsuo Nakamura	...	Seigo Nagai
Mitsuko Kusabue	...	Umeko Nagai
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Kenji Haga	...	Kadono
Jun Izumi	...	Joro
Maiko Kawakami	...	Kozome, geisha
Jun Miho	...	Sagawa's daughter
Yumi Morio	...	Nui Nagai
Issei Ogata	...	Terao

Also Known As:

And Then (International: English title)

Runtime:

130 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.75 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:L

Not for the impatient

Another slow-moving Japanese film, not unlike works by Ozu, say, or Teshigahara's Rikyu, or some things by Imamura. It is after all based on a novel by Natsume Soseki, the great Meiji-era author, regarded as one of the founders of modern Japanese literature, and like much else he wrote, it is restrained. Emotional reactions are mostly implied. There is more drama and emotion near the end, but probably not enough to satisfy the average Western viewer.

I don't mean to discourage the open-minded viewer from seeing this film, for it is really quite beautiful and well-executed, and if you can appreciate the drama of two people who feel very deeply for each other but are forbidden by strict social mores from expressing their feelings, you will not be disappointed.