Gururi no Koto
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Saturday, March 21, 2009

Following a seven-year hiatus, renowned Japanese director Ryosuke Hashiguchi (HUSH; LIKE GRAINS OF SAND) presents a gem of contemporary cinema that is at once an absurdist comedy, romantic drama and acute illustration of a society in dysfunction. Pitting a not-so-in-love couple against the backdrop of a volatile decade, Hashiguchi’s ALL AROUND US ushers viewers into the intimate spaces of a troubled marriage while chronicling some of the most shocking landmarks in Japanese criminal history.

Kanao (played by acclaimed artist, singer and novelist Lily Franky) is a hapless shoe repairman who moseys into a marriage with Shoko, his college girlfriend. With the death of their infant daughter, Shoko delves into a deep depression, unable to find a place of solace and straining under surroundings that seem to be closing in on her. Meanwhile, Kanao happens upon a job as a courtroom sketch artist where he becomes witness to a parade of disturbing trials (all based on well-known crimes of the era). In the company of robot-like journalists and a misfit team of sketchers, he quietly observes and draws notorious criminals: a child-eating man, an outspoken mama-san, a remorseful cult bomber, to name a few. Bouncing between madcap and macabre, the film is populated with these eccentric side-characters, but always returns home to the emotional turns of Shoko and Kanao. Hashiguchi’s unique ability to create environments saturated with terror, hilarity and hope gives viewers a rare opportunity to see a true craftsman at work.

—Christine Kwon

PLAYING:
TUE 3/17 | 9:00PM KABUKI, San Francisco
SAT 3/21 | 8:15PM PFA, Berkeley

Japan 2008 | 140mins | 35mm Color | Japanese w/E.S.

DIRECTOR/WRITER/EDITOR: Ryosuke Hashiguchi PRODUCER: Yamagami Tetsujiro CINEMATOGRAPHER: Shogo Ueno MUSIC: Akeboshi SOUND: Takeshi Ogawa CAST: Tae Kimura, Lily Franky, Mitsuko Baisyo, Susumu Terajima

27th San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival
March 12-22, 2009 in Bay Area theatres

The 27th annual San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival (SFIAAFF), which showcases the best Asian and Asian American films from around the globe takes place March 12-22, 2009 in San Francisco, Berkeley and San Jose. The SFIAAFF is a presentation of the Center for Asian American Media (CAAM). Film screenings, filmmaker tributes, and panel discussions take place at the Castro Theatre, 429 Castro Street in San Francisco; Sundance Kabuki Cinemas, 1881 Post Street in San Francisco; Pacific Film Archive, 2575 Bancroft Way in Berkeley, and the Camera 12 Cinemas, 201 South Second Street in San Jose. Tickets go on sale beginning February 12 for CAAM members and February 16 for the general public. For more information or tickets please visit www.asianamericanmedia.org.

The 2009 SFIAAFF
The 2009 SFIAAFF will again feature a dynamic and forward-looking selection of the best in new Asian and Asian American cinema. Ranging from locally produced musicals to Asian blockbusters that have been lauded on the international film festival circuit, the Festival’s program is the largest showcase of its kind in the world. At the heart of the Festival are its two Competitions, for Asian American Narrative and Documentary Features, as well as diverse selections of films from around the world, both short and feature-length.

For more information or tickets please click here.