Compétition internationale
46th edition
NOVEMBER 15>24, 2024, Nantes - France
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Happy Hour
(Happy Hour)

by Ryûsuke HAMAGUCHI

Happy_Hour_still1

5 hours and 17 minutes is not nothing. Especially if what is at stake is “finding one’s centre”, as stated by the ambitious workshop programme on which the four heroines of Happy Hour enrol. In a way, Jun is the hub of this group of friends as she was the one who introduced Fumi, Akari and Sakurako to each other. But it is also because of her that the quartet is in danger of breaking up, firstly after the announcement of her divorce and then her disappearance. Joyfully blending forms of cinema, television series and documentary, Ryusuke Hamaguchi is always in full control of his story. He accommodates digressions and assumes the distended duration of certain scenes, which suddenly, with no forewarning, intensify their revelatory force and emotional charge. The customs and concerns of the Japanese, mid-way between tradition and modernity, in downtown Kobe and its surroundings. But also the rich inner landscapes revealed in a monologue or a look: everything becomes increasingly limpid as the story unfolds – a seemingly legible scenario, but eminently courageous, like its wonderful actresses. These are five happy hours spent in their company.

A.G.

  • Titre français
    Senses
  • Original title
    Happy Hour
  • Titre international
    Happy Hour
  • Scénario
    Hatano Koubou
  • Photo
    Yoshio Kitagawa
  • Son
    Izumi Matsuno
  • Musique
    Umitaro Abe
  • Interprétation
    Sachie Tanaka, Hazuki Kikuchi, Maiko Mihara, Rira Kawamura
  • Production
    Fictive LLC
  • Ventes internationales
    info@fictive.jp
  • Prix obtenus
    Montgolfière d'argent & Prix du public WIK/FIP 2015

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