Issue:
March 2023
Join the film committee
Join us on Wednesday, March 15 at 6 pm for a sneak preview of Anshul Chauhan’s new film, December, a riveting courtroom drama that wrestles with the controversial imprisonment of juvenile offenders and the gray areas of Japan’s criminal justice system. Like his award-winning Kontora (screened at the FCCJ in 2021), Chauhan’s new film explores how we process grief, the thirst for vengeance and the price of forgiveness. December follows an estranged couple who learn that their teenage daughter’s murderer may be released from prison early, and decide to cooperate in the prosecution’s efforts to prevent the “monster’s” release. Never mind that she had been convicted as an adult and not as a juvenile, despite being 17 at the time. In court, the couple must eventually confront not only their own mistakes, but also difficult questions about punishment and redemption — especially when surprising facts are revealed. The director will be joined by actors Shogen and Ryo Matsuura for a post-screening Q&A session. (Japan, 2022, 99 minutes, in Japanese with English subtitles).
Karen Severns is chair of the FCCJ film committee
