The Cinematheque

Vancouver Premiere

“Beguiling … One of the finest Japanese independent films of the past few years.”

Patrick Brzeski, The Hollywood Reporter

After 71-year-old Yohji, a retired professor with a mysterious past, is diagnosed with dementia, his son Takashi is forced to reconcile not only with his father’s newly intensified illness, but also with the nuances of their fractured relationship. Estranged from his father for nearly twenty-five years after the divorce of his parents, Takashi has built a career as an actor in Tokyo—a path that seemingly disappoints his overly critical father. After Yohji is sent to live in a care home, his second wife Naomi is nowhere to be found. In a fog of distorted memories and paranoia, he tells his son that she committed suicide, leading Takashi on a quest for the truth of what happened. Intercut with flashbacks and set against the lush landscape of Omuto in southern Japan, Chika-ura’s sophomore feature offers carefully composed cinematography and measured performances to deliver a suspenseful yet contemplative family drama.

In Japanese with English subtitles

“A moving drama … The story of Great Absence is something of a mystery, structured quite magnificently … In the end, [it] contains the grace that arises from a great struggle.” Alissa Wilkinson, The New York Times

Post-screening discussion with Dr. Takashi Inoue, a board-certified child and adolescent psychiatrist from Japan.

Moderated by Dr. Harry Karlinsky, series director.