Issue:
. . . on Wednesday, July 30 at 7:00 pm for one of the most powerful character studies in recent memory, Ken and Kazu. The extraordinarily beautiful, brutal and moving first feature by Hiroshi Shoji, it won the Best Picture Award in the Japanese Cinema Splash section at the 2015 Tokyo Film Festival, as well as international acclaim for its breathtaking cinematography, the bravura acting chemistry of its two leads and the Shakespearean dimensions of its tragic tale. Up-and-coming stars Shinsuke Kato and Katsuya Maiguma are the titular characters, small-time meth dealers who are in it only for the money: Ken needs it to start a new life with his pregnant girlfriend, and Kazu needs it so he can put his mother into a care home. Increasingly intense and thrilling as it hurtles inexorably to its fateful climax, Ken and Kazu is anchored by performances of heartbreaking tenderness and explosive anger. The writer- director and his two stars will be on hand for the Q&A. (Japan, 2015; 98 minutes; Japanese with English subtitles.)
– Karen Severns
