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Director Takumi Saitoh in attendance
Superstar Takumi Saitoh’s feature-length directorial debut is set at the funeral of a man who recently returned home to his family after a 13-year absence, taking us through the mourning of a family blunted by resentment.
With the arrival of a group of eccentric mourners, their eulogies bring about a change of tone as the family discovers there was much more about their father’s life than they could have suspected. The film quietly evokes the enigma of discovering the private life of a loved one, whether dead or alive; and the elasticity of familial bonds.
Moving, funny and expertly acted and directed, the film won the Asian New Talent Award for Best Director at the Shanghai International Film Festival.