NINE SOULS

MONDAY 3 NOVEMBER AT 7PM UGC SHAFTESBURY AVE SCREEN 1

Country Japan Running Time 120 mins Format 35mm Dir/S'play Toyoda Toshiaki Prod Kikuchi Miyoshi, Konishi Keisuke DoP Fujisawa Junichi Cast Harada Yoshio, Matsuda Ryuhei, Chihara Koji, Onimaru, Itao Itsuji, Kee, Mame Yamada, Suzuki Takuji, Dairaku Genta Print Source Gold View Co E kiyo@goldview.co.jp

In this affable comedy, co-written with cinematographer Kosuke Mukai, Nobuhiro Yamashita shows us modern Japan as we've never seen it before.

Nine prisoners on the lam forms the basis of the most recent film from Toshiaki Toyoda, currently one of the hottest properties working in Japan. Their numbers include Torakichi, the self-appointed leader, who killed his son; Ushiyama, a mildmannered hulk prone to violent fits of rage who murdered ten of his classmates at school; Shiratori, a diminutive doctor sent down for assisting the suicide of a patient and Kamei, a notorious pornographer who murdered a man caught sleeping with his girlfriend. After the escape, we follow our jump-suited escapees, bundled into the back of a rickety red van and disguising themselves in women's clothing and fake moustaches in their odyssey across Japan in search of a hidden stash buried at the foot of Mt Fuji.

A powerful ensemble piece, Toyoda sets his focus on the characters and the dynamics between them rather than melodramatic contrivances and forced humour, as the individual dramas of each of the convicts flare up one by one as they all touch base with their past lives. The result is an even-handed yet undeniably potent blend of comedy, tragedy, pathos, and redemption. JS

Toshiaki Toyoda was awarded Best New Director by the Japan Directors' Guild for his first film Pornostar. His second film Unchain won him a cult following for its no holds barred depiction of the boxing world. With his third, Blue Spring, a vivid portrayal of contemporary youth, he con- firmed his status as a spokesperson for his generation and a box office hit.