JFF THEATER: UNDER THE OPEN SKY Review: Inspiring tale about the importance of a second chance.
After 13 years of imprisonment for murder, Misao Mikami, a middle-aged former yakuza, is released from jail, finding himself in a hostile society that treats him like a left-over, however, Misao will gather all his determination to put in good use this new opportunity that he has been granted in order to reach his redemption.
“Under the Open Sky“, is an inspiring tale about the importance of second chances and the good use we put on them. The director and writer, Miwa Nishiwaka, lures the audience into the story of a conflicted man aware that the wasting time will never be retribuited, but who has been graced with a second chance to make the most of the time he has left. The film navigates into the dark instincts of someone who has been cursed by a past of violence, who this new opportunity will teach to be blessed by the generosity and mercy of those few who puts their trust in him and his resilience, helping him to find the path to integrate into society, making him understand that the key to his success lies in his self-trust, and his ability to do the right thing in this new life that he has been granted.
Veteran actor Koji Yakusho becomes the central axis of the story, embodying a character to whom he knows how to infuse the toughness he wears as armor to protect himself from the world, in order to gradually strip him of his armor and show the viewer the vulnerability that all human beings suffer from. but no man is an army, and Yakusho is well supported by a good cast of supporting actors (including veteran legendary actress Meiko Kaji in a small role) who flawlessly replicate him, giving the director the perfect tools to create the perfect sense of community that the plot requested to make the story believable.
The script was based on Ryozo Saki’s 1990 novel, “Mibuncho“, but the director and writer of this feature, Miwa Nishiwaka, chose to move the story to the year 2021 bringing it to the reallity of the Japanese modern society. Her job was impeccable, and her intention to make the viewer participate in the drama of the characters translates into a truly admirable exercise of good cinema.
Thanks to the Japanese Foundation, the film is available until February, 1 of 2025 in their platform JFF Theater for free, inside of their collection, “The Twists and Turns of Life” that includes other films suchs as “Her Love Boils Water” or “Key of Life”
