Description:

Daibyonin - Nominated for 2 Japanese Academy Awards - A meaningful, often comic rumination on life and death reminiscent of Akira Kurosawa's powerful film Ikiru.

Inspired by his own near death experience and subsequent hospital recovery--having been stabbed following the completion of his last feature--director Juzo Itami makes a self-referential comedy about illness and recovery.

A successful Japanese movie director in his 60s becomes increasingly ill while working on his latest film. His family, friends, and doctor try to keep the secret of his terminal cancer from him, but it gradually becomes clear. Coming to terms with his own mortality is painful, and involves some major conflicts with his wife and the hospital staff.

But having done so, he realizes he doesn't want to die in the hospital on a life support machine. He manages to finish his final film, and, enjoying the last days of his life as never before, he dies at home surrounded by all the people he cares about.

While it does contain some humor and cute side plots, for the most part, the movie is a serious exploration of two aspects of death, one familiar to American audiences another rather uniquely Japanese.

Director: Juzo Itami - Writer: Juzo Itami

Stars: Rentaro Mikuni, Masahiko Tsugawa and Nobuko Miyamoto

1993 - JAPANESE with OPTIONAL ENGLISH SUBTITLES - COLOR - 16:9 ANAMORPHIC WIDESCREEN - 116 MINUTES