JAPAN

JAPÓN
fiction, Mexico, Germany, The Netherlands, Spain, 2002.
color, 35mm, 130 min
director Carlos Reygadas
screenwriter Carlos Reygadas
cinematographers Diego Martínez Vignatti, Thierry Tronchet
editors Daniel Melguizo, Carlos Serrano Azcona, David Torres
leading actors Alejandro Ferretis, Magdalena Flores, Yolanda Villa
producer Carlos Reygadas

synopsis
A painter from a big city leaves for the remote countryside in Mexico to commit suicide in a canyon. On his way, to calm down a bit, he stops at Ascen's who is an older religious woman. A peculiar relationship develops between them, and this makes the painter reconsider his decision to die.

festivals and awards
After the premiere screening in Rotterdam and in the program of Director's Fortnight in Cannes, Japan was screened at many festivals around the world where it won 16 awards, among which was FIPRESCI award for the best Latino American film at the Rio de Janeiro Festival.

about the film
Even though the title of the film implies differently, Carlos Reygadas's Japan has nothing to do with the Far East. The title refers to the phrase "the rising sun" which is associated with Japan. Reygadas's first film bears all the characteristics of style and content that will mark his other films in the future: a cooperation with amateurs, and a wholeness which can be interpreted as a meditation on life, death and redemption.