Twilight Cinema Blues

KONDO (KOIDE Keisuke) is a young man who has just returned, penniless, to his hometown of Ginpei-cho. One day, a chance encounter with rough-sleeping movie enthusiast SATO (UNO Shohei) prompts KONDO to take up a part-time job at the Ginpei Scala Theatre, a small independent cinema on the verge of closure managed by KAJIWARA (FUKIKOSHI Mitsuru). As KONDO learns more about his co-workers, along with the regulars that gather at the cinema, he is able to begin confronting and reflecting on his own past.

Under the skilful direction of JOJO Hideo, prolific filmmaker and subject of a retrospective at the 2023 Tokyo International Film Festival, KONDO’s interactions with this ragtag bunch of customers and staff breathe life into this delightful tragicomedy, exploring self-discovery, human connection, and resilience along the way. The film also provides insight into a growing problem in Japan through its focus on an independent cinema in crisis, a sight undoubtedly very familiar to Japanese moviegoers as the country emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic.

芽の出ない傷心の映画監督の男性を主人公に、時代遅れで廃業間近の名画座を立て直そうとする人々が繰り広げる、人間模様を描いた群像劇。仕事仲間の自殺がきっかけで、放浪を続けて一文無しとなった近藤。かつて青春時代を過ごした銀平町に戻り、映画好きのホームレスと出会ったことから、再び映画への情熱を取り戻していく。ミニシアターへの愛情が詰まった作品。

(Special thanks to Eikoku News Digest)