Wikipedia

Under the Open Sky

Under the Open Sky (Japanese: すばらしき世界, Hepburn: Subarashiki Sekai) is a 2020 Japanese drama film directed and written by Miwa Nishikawa. It stars Koji Yakusho as a former yakuza who has been released from prison after serving 13 years for murder.[3] The film premiered at the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival.[4]

Under the Open Sky
Film poster
Japanese name
Kanjiすばらしき世界
Directed byMiwa Nishikawa
Screenplay byMiwa Nishikawa
Based onMibun-chō
by Ryūzō Saki
Starring
CinematographyNorimichi Kasamatsu
Edited byRyūji Miyajima
Music byMasaki Hayashi
Production
company
Aoi Pro
Distributed byWarner Bros. Japan
Release dates
  • September 2020 (2020-09) (TIFF)
  • February 11, 2021 (2021-02-11)
Running time
126 minutes[1]
CountryJapan
LanguageJapanese
Box office$4,722,021[2]

Plot

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Masao Mikami is a middle-aged former yakuza who has spent time in and out of prison, and is released after serving 13 years for murder. He sends his inmate files and personal information to a TV company and wants them to find his mother. A young TV director, Tsunoda, looks into his files. Freshly released, Mikami meets his lawyer and his wife and has dinner at their house. The next day, Mikami tries to apply for welfare benefits but the case worker nearly denies him due to his violent past. He has a meltdown, collapses, and is sent to the hospital. The doctor instructs him to take it easy because he is at risk of a heart attack and stroke. Tsunoda meets Mikami and interviews him about his life while filming. Mikami is adjusting to normal life, but struggles with manual labor in his new apartment and ends up back in the hospital.

Tsunoda asks Mikani if he has remorse for his crimes, and Mikami denies it. Mikami finds a few driving jobs and tries to get his 10 year expired license renewed. When the licensing center tells him he needs to retake the tests, he yells at them. He mentions that his ex-wife may still have his old license, and thinks of her during his trial. A flashback of the trial contains his then wife, Kumiko, explaining the situation. A gang member had raided the hostess bar that she and Mikami owned together and had harassed her. Mikami, frantic, stabbed the man 11 times. During Mikami’s questioning, he was asked if he knew the man would die, and he said yes. This changed Mikami’s manslaughter charge to a murder charge. It is stated briefly that Mikami and Kumiko have a child. In the present day, Mikami goes to Kumiko’s apartment, who is now remarried. He bumps into her daughter, and he asks her how old she is. She is 9, and he realizes the girl is not his daughter. He leaves.

Mikami is accused of shoplifting in a grocery store by an employee and gets very upset when the man raises his voice at him. He proves that he did not steal anything and the employee gives him free food and walks him home. Mikami studies for his driving test, but during the test, he is obviously unprepared and fails miserably. Tsunoda and his boss take Mikami out to dinner and tell him that they are filming his life because his story will touch their viewers. Mikami is skeptical because he only wants to find his mother. The boss tells him that if the program reaches far enough, it might reach his mother. On the way home from dinner, Mikami spots a man being mugged. He pulls them apart and Mikami violently beats them up. Tsunoda’s boss forces him to film them, but he is clearly afraid and frantically runs away. He gets home and rewatches the footage, focusing on the very graphic clip of Mikami biting the man’s back.

Tsunoda, in response to Mikami’s violent outburst, calls him to say that putting him on TV is a bad idea. He thinks that Mikami does not think about his consequences and has not learned his lesson. They argue and he asks Mikami if he is the way he is due to childhood trauma and abuse. Mikami, upset at Tsunoda, hangs up and breaks apart a pen for a slip of paper with a phone number, belonging to Akimasa Shimoinaba, whom Mikami refers to as “brother”. He flies to meet him. Akimasa’s sister tells Mikami that the yakuza is a failing business. She asks him if he is coming back, to which Mikami does not reply. Tsunoda calls Mikami, wondering where he is and that his orphanage is looking through his files and that they are getting closer to finding his mother.

Mikami finds police outside Akimasa’s house. Distraught, he runs toward them, but Akimasa’s sister stops him and tells him to run. Tsunoda and Mikami reunite at home, this time without his camera. They visit Mikami’s orphanage, but find that his records are long gone. In the communal showers, Tsunoda tells Mikami that he will write about him and his life, and tears up when he asks him not to go back to his old ways. Mikamu only nods. The case worker finds Mikami back in his home and helps him with a potential trainee position in a nursing home, which he lands. He celebrates with his friends, happily singing at dinner with a celebratory cake.

At work, he finds two boys harassing an employee with a disability. He imagines beating them with a broom, but instead collapses while gripping his chest. He sits with his coworkers while they gossip about the aforementioned employee. It is revealed that he was also an ex-con and they make fun of him without knowing of Mikami’s history. He controls his anger. The employee stops Mikami before he leaves and gives him flowers, which causes Mikami to tear up. On the way home, Kumiko, his ex-wife, calls him. She asks him for a date with her and her daughter, and they chat about his new life.

Mikami collapses in his apartment and takes his last breath as he grips the flowers. Tsunoda runs to his home and the first responders hold him back as he sobs for Mikami. His friends gather at the entrance of his home. [5] [6]

Cast

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Production

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Miwa Nishikawa was inspired by Ryozo Saki’s novel, Mibuncho, which follows the story of a criminal after his conviction. Nishikawa felt it the world needed to know the story, so she adapted it into a film. Nishikawa wanted to do her own personal research, similar to how Saki interviewed criminals for his books. She researched how life in prison changed since the book was written decades ago. Nishikawa visited Asahikawa Prison in Hokkaido, where the character Mikami served his time, and interviewed many organized crime members. She also had to adapt the story into modern times, as the book was released in 1990. [7] [8]

Accolades

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Award Category Recipient Result Ref
56th Chicago International Film Festival Best Performance Kōji Yakusho Won [5]
15th Asian Film Awards Best Actor Nominated [9]
43rd Yokohama Film Festival Best Cinematography Norimichi Kasamatsu Won [10]
76th Mainichi Film Awards Best Film Under the Open Sky Nominated [11]
[12]
Excellence Film Won
Best Director Miwa Nishikawa Nominated
Best Screenplay Nominated
Best Actor Kōji Yakusho Nominated
Best Supporting Actor Taiga Nakano Won
Best Cinematography Norimichi Kasamatsu Won
Best Art Direction Keiko Mitsumatsu Nominated
Best Music Masaki Hayashi Won
45th Japan Academy Film Prize Best Film Under the Open Sky Nominated [13]
Best Director Miwa Nishikawa Nominated
Best Screenplay Nominated
Best Actor Kōji Yakusho Nominated
Best Supporting Actor Taiga Nakano Nominated
Best Cinematography Norimichi Kasamatsu Nominated
Best Lighting Direction Kenjiro Sō Nominated

Reception

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Under the Open Sky grossed $4,722,021 at the box office.[2]

References

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  1. ^ "すばらしき世界". eiga.com. Retrieved May 11, 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Under the Open Sky (2020) box office". Box Office Mojo. August 20, 2022. Retrieved August 20, 2022.
  3. ^ "役所広司の主演映画「すばらしき世界」がSNSで話題". Sports Hochi. 16 February 2021. Retrieved May 11, 2021.
  4. ^ "Under the Open Sky". Toronto International Film Festival Inc. Retrieved May 11, 2021.
  5. ^ a b "Koji Yakusho Wins Best Performance for "Under the Open Sky" at Chicago International Film Festival". AOI Pro. Retrieved May 11, 2021.
  6. ^ Nishikawa, Miwa. "Under The Open Sky". Aoi Pro. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  7. ^ Kotzathanasis, Panos (24 June 2021). "Interview with Miwa Nishikawa (Under The Open Sky): People in general are creatures that desire to punish others". Asian Movie Pulse.
  8. ^ Yatabe, Yoshihiko. "Depicting a Convict Reveals Issues in Japanese Society. Director Miwa Nishikawa talks about "Under The Open Sky." JFF+". Bringing Japanese Film to You.
  9. ^ "The 15th Asian Film Awards Nominations Announced". Asian Film Awards Academy. Retrieved September 9, 2021.
  10. ^ "第43回ヨコハマ映画祭 2021年日本映画個人賞". Yokohama Film Festival. Retrieved December 15, 2021.
  11. ^ "毎日映画コンクール 候補作が決定 「ドライブ・マイ・カー」最多10ノミネート". Sponichi. Retrieved December 16, 2021.
  12. ^ "日本映画大賞に『ドライブ・マイ・カー』 毎日映画コンクール受賞結果". Oricon. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
  13. ^ "日本アカデミー賞「孤狼の血2」が最多13の優秀賞、「ドライブ・マイ・カー」は8部門". Natalie. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
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