Otōto (2010 film)
Encyclopedia
Otōto is a 2010 film by Yoji Yamada
. The first screening of this film outside of Japan
was at the closing ceremony of the 60th Berlin Film Festival in 2010. The screening was a special tribute to then 81-year-old Yoji Yamada
, whose films have been invited to the festival several times before.
), the daughter of a pharmacist in a modest neighborhood of Tokyo, is about to get married to the son of a prestigious family and even before the event everybody is anxious that the younger brother of Koharu's mother, Ginko (Sayuri Yoshinaga) might join the wedding ceremony, as he is considered to be the black sheep of the family and even Ginko and Koharu consider him to be an embarrassment, even though he has lived with the family for quite some time after the death of Koharu's father.
As the invitations to the wedding had been returned to the sender, everybody is relieved that the younger brother Tetsuro (Tsurube Shofukutei) will not show up as he has embarrassed the family in the past with his childish behavior and his drunkenness.
But during the party after the ceremony he turns up anyway in a loaned kimono
and even after Ginko warns him, he starts drinking heavily and causes a ruckus, which is unsettling the groom's family. During the event he reveals his special relationship to Koharu: Her father asked him to name her, something he is still particularly proud of as every other endeavor in his life failed miserably.
After the event the family is forced to apologize formally to the groom's family and the oldest brother of Ginko and Tetsuro severs all ties with his younger brother. After staying with Ginko for a short time, she lends him money to go back to Osaka
where he came from in the first place.
Her uncle's behavior casts a shadow over Koharu's marriage and soon she has got to move in with her mother again. Even Ginko's patience with her brother comes to an end when she is forced to reimburse a lover of his who had entrusted him with her savings which he has gambled away. Now even Ginko severs her ties with Tetsuro and does not want to hear from him anymore: When he visits her next time, Ginko and Koharu throw him out.
Some time passes while Koharu struggles with her ultimate divorce and tries to get her life back together and starts a new relationship with a shy carpenter from the neighborhood.
Finally Ginko- who has secretly filled a missing person report- gets the news that Tetsuro has been hospitalized in Osaka. Despite his misbehavior, she is deeply worried and visits him in Osaka, learning that he is terminally ill with lung cancer
and living in a hospice
. Despite his illness, Tetsuro has neither lost his sense of humor, nor his childish character and Ginko is moved to see him being merry among the other patients and the staff of the hospice who have learned to enjoy his character.
Tetsuro predicts his own day of death, telling Ginko that the buddha
told him in a dream.
When the day draws closer, Ginko gets the news that Tetsuro's health is deteriorating. She hurries to Osaka and finds him being as cheerful as ever, even tricking her into giving him a drink through his feeding tube. When his death gets closer, Koharu arrives as well and finally forgives her uncle on his deathbed.
Some time later Koharu makes preparations for her upcoming wedding with the shy carpenter. Around the dinner table Ginko's senile
mother-in-law suggests inviting Tetsuro and Koharu and Ginko agree, moved to tears by their memories.
who had made a film with the same name, Otōto
in 1960, which won a Special Distinction Award at the Cannes Film Festival
in 1961.
Yoji Yamada
is a Japanese film director best known for his Otoko wa Tsurai yo series of films and his Samurai Trilogy ....
. The first screening of this film outside of Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
was at the closing ceremony of the 60th Berlin Film Festival in 2010. The screening was a special tribute to then 81-year-old Yoji Yamada
Yoji Yamada
is a Japanese film director best known for his Otoko wa Tsurai yo series of films and his Samurai Trilogy ....
, whose films have been invited to the festival several times before.
Plot
The story unfolds as the young Koharu (Yū AoiYû Aoi
is a Japanese actress and model. She made her film debut as Shiori Tsuda in Shunji Iwai's 2001 film All About Lily Chou-Chou...
), the daughter of a pharmacist in a modest neighborhood of Tokyo, is about to get married to the son of a prestigious family and even before the event everybody is anxious that the younger brother of Koharu's mother, Ginko (Sayuri Yoshinaga) might join the wedding ceremony, as he is considered to be the black sheep of the family and even Ginko and Koharu consider him to be an embarrassment, even though he has lived with the family for quite some time after the death of Koharu's father.
As the invitations to the wedding had been returned to the sender, everybody is relieved that the younger brother Tetsuro (Tsurube Shofukutei) will not show up as he has embarrassed the family in the past with his childish behavior and his drunkenness.
But during the party after the ceremony he turns up anyway in a loaned kimono
Kimono
The is a Japanese traditional garment worn by men, women and children. The word "kimono", which literally means a "thing to wear" , has come to denote these full-length robes...
and even after Ginko warns him, he starts drinking heavily and causes a ruckus, which is unsettling the groom's family. During the event he reveals his special relationship to Koharu: Her father asked him to name her, something he is still particularly proud of as every other endeavor in his life failed miserably.
After the event the family is forced to apologize formally to the groom's family and the oldest brother of Ginko and Tetsuro severs all ties with his younger brother. After staying with Ginko for a short time, she lends him money to go back to Osaka
Osaka
is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
where he came from in the first place.
Her uncle's behavior casts a shadow over Koharu's marriage and soon she has got to move in with her mother again. Even Ginko's patience with her brother comes to an end when she is forced to reimburse a lover of his who had entrusted him with her savings which he has gambled away. Now even Ginko severs her ties with Tetsuro and does not want to hear from him anymore: When he visits her next time, Ginko and Koharu throw him out.
Some time passes while Koharu struggles with her ultimate divorce and tries to get her life back together and starts a new relationship with a shy carpenter from the neighborhood.
Finally Ginko- who has secretly filled a missing person report- gets the news that Tetsuro has been hospitalized in Osaka. Despite his misbehavior, she is deeply worried and visits him in Osaka, learning that he is terminally ill with lung cancer
Lung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
and living in a hospice
Hospice
Hospice is a type of care and a philosophy of care which focuses on the palliation of a terminally ill patient's symptoms.In the United States and Canada:*Gentiva Health Services, national provider of hospice and home health services...
. Despite his illness, Tetsuro has neither lost his sense of humor, nor his childish character and Ginko is moved to see him being merry among the other patients and the staff of the hospice who have learned to enjoy his character.
Tetsuro predicts his own day of death, telling Ginko that the buddha
Buddha
In Buddhism, buddhahood is the state of perfect enlightenment attained by a buddha .In Buddhism, the term buddha usually refers to one who has become enlightened...
told him in a dream.
When the day draws closer, Ginko gets the news that Tetsuro's health is deteriorating. She hurries to Osaka and finds him being as cheerful as ever, even tricking her into giving him a drink through his feeding tube. When his death gets closer, Koharu arrives as well and finally forgives her uncle on his deathbed.
Some time later Koharu makes preparations for her upcoming wedding with the shy carpenter. Around the dinner table Ginko's senile
Dementia
Dementia is a serious loss of cognitive ability in a previously unimpaired person, beyond what might be expected from normal aging...
mother-in-law suggests inviting Tetsuro and Koharu and Ginko agree, moved to tears by their memories.
Cast
- Sayuri Yoshinaga - Ginko
- Tsurube Shofukutei - Tetsuro
- Yū AoiYû Aoiis a Japanese actress and model. She made her film debut as Shiori Tsuda in Shunji Iwai's 2001 film All About Lily Chou-Chou...
- Koharu - Ryō KaseRyo Kaseis a Japanese actor. He grew up in Bellevue, Washington until he was seven. He portrayed Shimizu, one of the lower-ranked Japanese soldiers, in Clint Eastwood's Letters from Iwo Jima. He starred in Masayuki Suo's film I Just Didn't Do It.-Filmography:...
- Ahira
Production
This movie is dedicated to the memory of director Kon IchikawaKon Ichikawa
was a Japanese film director.-Early life and career:Ichikawa was born in Ise, Mie Prefecture. In the 1930s Ichikawa attended a technical school in Osaka. Upon graduation, in 1933, he found a job with a local rental film studio, J.O. Studio, in their animation department...
who had made a film with the same name, Otōto
Her Brother
Her Brother is a 1960 Japanese drama film directed by Kon Ichikawa. It was entered into the 1961 Cannes Film Festival, where it won a prize for Special Distinction....
in 1960, which won a Special Distinction Award at the Cannes Film Festival
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes International Film Festival , is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is among the world's most prestigious and publicized film festivals...
in 1961.
Film festivals
| Film Festival | Date of ceremony | Category | Participants/Recipients | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 34th Japan Academy Prize | 18 February 2011 | Best Film | Otōto | |
| Best Director | Yoji Yamada Yoji Yamada is a Japanese film director best known for his Otoko wa Tsurai yo series of films and his Samurai Trilogy .... |
|||
| Best Male Actor | Tsurube Shofukutei | |||
| Best Female Actor | Sayuri Yoshinaga | |||
| Best Female Accompanying Actor | Yū Aoi Yû Aoi is a Japanese actress and model. She made her film debut as Shiori Tsuda in Shunji Iwai's 2001 film All About Lily Chou-Chou... |
|||
| Best Music | Isao Tomita Isao Tomita , often known simply as Tomita, is a Japanese music composer, regarded as one of the pioneers of electronic music and space music, and as one of the most famous producers of analog synthesizer arrangements... |
|||
| Best Cinematography | Masashi Chikamori | |||
| Best Lighting | Takakazu Watanabe | |||
| Best Sound Effects | Kazumi Kishida | |||
| Best Editing | Iwao Ishi |