A Sparkle of Life

燦燦 (San san)

UK Premiere

Tae, a 77-year-old widow, attempts to inject a ‘spark’ into her life and signs up with a matchmaking service in pursuit of a last chance at love. Despite the impending bad dates and the unrelenting opposition from those around her, Tae stays in search of her silver-haired knight in shining armour.

A Sparkle of Life is a wonderful romantic comedy by rookie filmmaker Bunji Sotoyama that will make you laugh and cry. Exploring the hopes and dreams of Japan’s aging population, the film was a huge hit in its native Japan and even received praise from Japan’s late theatre director Yukio Ninagawa, who described it as ‘a movie that makes getting old OK.’

夫と死に別れて一人暮らしをする、77歳の女性たゑ。人生の花道を輝かせたいと考えた彼女は、結婚相談所に登録し婚活を開始する。何人かの同世代の男性とデートをするが、いずれも芳しくない結果に。だがとうとう、「王子様」が現れて……。老人たちの夢と希望を温かく描いたコメディー。舞台演出家の故蜷川幸雄氏は、本作を「老いについて元気づけられる映画」とコメントした。

監督: 外山文治
出演: 吉行和子、宝田明、山本學

Distributor: SKIP city