Kontora
2019 Japanese drama mystery film
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Kontora (コントラ) is a 2019 Japanese drama mystery film written, directed, produced, and edited by Anshul Chauhan that stars Seira Kojima, Wan Marui, and Hidemasa Mase. Kontora is shot in black-and-white. Kontora is Chauhan's second feature film after Bad Poetry Tokyo, preceded by December.[1] Kontora is also the first Japanese film to receive the Grand Prix award at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival.[2]
- Seira Kojima
- Wan Marui
- Hidemasa Mase
| Kontora | |
|---|---|
| |
| コントラ | |
| Directed by | Anshul Chauhan |
| Written by | Anshul Chauhan |
| Produced by | Anshul Chauhan |
| Starring |
|
| Cinematography | Maxim Golomidov |
| Edited by | Anshul Chauhan |
| Music by | Yuma Koda |
Production company | Kowatanda Films |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 144 minutes |
| Country | Japan |
| Language | Japanese |
Plot summary
Following her grandfather's (Noriyuki Yamada) WWII-era diary, Sora (Wan Marui) searches for a mysterious treasure in the wilderness of her hometown. Meanwhile, a mysterious mute and backward-walking homeless man (Hidemasa Mase) wanders into town who may be the catalyst to put her shattered relationship with her father (Taichi Yamada) back together.[3][4]
Cast
- Seira Kojima as Haru
- Wan Marui as Sora
- Hidemasa Mase as the Homeless Man
- Takuzo Shimizu as Haru's father
- Taichi Yamada as Sora's father
- Noriyuki Yamada as Sora's grandfather
Production
After making Bad Poetry Tokyo, director Anshul Chauhan was approached by a producer to write another script after being impressed by his film. Chauhan then took six to seven months to write a script about bullying at the Yokosuka military academy near Tokyo, however, the producer got scared after reading the script and fled as he believed that it was anti-government.[5]
Themes and inspiration
The plot of Kontora is based on a real story about Chauhan's grandfather, who was a war veteran, that buried and hid things that were discovered after he had died. Chauhan also based the stories in the grandfather's diary around real letters by soldiers.[5][6]
Filming
Kontora was shot with a low budget and most scenes where the actors were in a house were shot at Taichi Yamada's house, the actor who plays the father, which is also how he got a role in the film.[5] The film was also mostly shot in Seki, Yamada's hometown.[5]
Release
Kontora had its world premiere at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival where it won the Grand Prix for Best Film.[7][8] Composer Yuma Koda also won the Best Music prize.[9] Kontora also won the Obayashi Prize at Japan Cuts[3] and Best Picture at the Skip City International D-Cinema Festival.[2] Kontora also screened at the Osaka Asian Film Festival.[10]
Music
All tracks are written by Yuma Koda.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Sora's Theme" | 3:47 |
| 2. | "Kontora's Walk" | 3:09 |
| 3. | "Reverse Rivers" | 2:38 |
| 4. | "Grandpa's Note" | 4:32 |
| 5. | "First Encounter" | 1:27 |
| 6. | "Second Encounter" | 3:05 |
| 7. | "Seeker" | 2:20 |
| 8. | "Opening the Case" | 3:42 |
| 9. | "Reverse Rivers – Recomposed" | 2:04 |
| 10. | "Salvation" | 6:21 |
| 11. | "An Ending" | 4:06 |
| Total length: | 37:16 | |
Reception
The film received positive reviews from critics. Kontora has an approval rating of 80% on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, based on 5 reviews.[11] Richard Gray of TheReelBits gave the film a 4.5/5 stars and stated that the film was, "visually striking and often mysterious familial drama doesn’t offer any easy answers, but captivates from the first to last frame."[12] Four Weddings and a Funeral director Mike Newell, stated that Kontora was "brilliantly multi-layered" and "a truly cinematic experience".[8]