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Join the Film Committee …
Join us on Tuesday, January 14 at 6 p.m. for a sneak preview of Teki Cometh, the stunning new work from Daihachi Yoshida (Pale Moon, The Scythian Lamb). The first Japanese film to win the Tokyo International Film Festival Grand Prix in 19 years, it also earned Yoshida the Best Director Award and a Best Actor Award for the splendidly constrained performance of veteran Kyozo Nagatsuka, playing an octogenarian widower who is grappling with something more than just cognitive decline. A retired French literature professor, his solitary life takes a surreal turn when he receives an ominous message online warning, “The enemy is coming from the north.” Initially dismissive of what he assumes is an attempt to trick him, he soon begins to experience strange occurrences that blur the line between reality and imagination. Based on an acclaimed novel by Yasutaka Tsutsui, Teki Cometh addresses important themes of aging, societal alienation and existential fear. In Yoshida’s hands, it is not only a deeply felt drama, but also a psychological thriller that is sprinkled liberally with hilarious black comedy. The director masterfully blends his atmospheric narrative with stunning cinematography and tour-de-force performances, immersing viewers in a world that is unraveling. Both Yoshida and Nagatsuka will be on hand for the Q&A session. (Teki Cometh, Japan, 2024, 108 minutes, in Japanese with English subtitles).
