Archive - 10th Five Flavours Film Festival

100 Yen Love

Hyaku yen no koi
Japan 2014, 113’
subtitles: Polish and English
director: Masaharu Take
screenplay: Shin Adachi
cinematography: Hiromitsu Nishimura
editing: Chieko Suzaki
music: Shogo Kaida
cast: Sakura Ando, Hirofumi Arai, Tadashi Sakata, Yozaburo Ito, Miyoko Inagawa, Saori, Osamu Shigematsu, Toshie Negishi
producer: Gen Sato, Yuji Hiratai, Yoshinori Kano
production: Spotted Productions
language: Japanese
colouration: colour

Awards and festivals

Awards of the Japanese Academy 2016 - Best Actress, Best Screenplay; Blue Ribbon Awards 2015 - Best Actress; Japanese Professional Movie Awards 2014 - Best Film, Best Director; Kinema Junpo Awards 2015 - Best Actress; Puchon International Fantastic FF 2015 - NETPAC Award; Tokyo IFF 2014 - Japanese Cinema Splash Best Picture Award

Film description

Ichiko is a hopeless case. A 32-year old with no prospects, living in a tiny apartment with her parents, occasionally crawling out into the sunlight in her consistently stained, baggy clothes. When her sister decides to get a divorce and moves into the apartment with her son, the conflict is inevitable. To be able to get her own place, Ichiko finds a job in a 100-yen shop. As it turns out, a nearby club is a training spot for a fairly handsome boxer.

Masaharu Take's film is a moving story with strong turning points. This tale about boxing with life and an unexpectedly revealed will to fight, is not a sugary, stereotypical narration about a metamorphosis – the director managed to combine striking realism with emotional depth, and add a few drops of black humor. This incisive psychological portrait of the protagonist is also a diagnosis of contemporary Japanese society, and the wonderfully executed boxing scenes allow to experience the protagonist's sensations in an almost physical way.

The project received a Grand Prix in the Yusaku Matsuda script competition, and became a sensation of Japanese independent cinema. During the casting, the filmmakers were looking for an actress who can combine lyricism with boxing energy. Sakura Ando, chosen from among over 700 candidates, once again proved her masterly skills. On the year of the premiere, she received most of the industry awards, with Variety calling her a "rare performer worthy of comparison to Japan's all-time greatest actor, Toshiro Mifune." The film was submitted as the 2015 Japanese Oscars candidate.

Jagoda Murczyńska

Masaharu Take

Born in 1967, graduated from Meiji University. Worked as an assistant director with Takashi Ishii and Yoichi Sa. He debuted in 2007.

Filmography:

2007 Boi mitsu Pusan / Boy Meets Pusan
2008 Kafe Daikanyama: Suwito boizu / Cafe Daikanyama: Sweet Boys
2009 Hanamuko wa 18 sai / The Bridegroom is 18 Years Old
2009 Kafe souru / Café Seoul
2012 Eden
2013 Mongol yakyu seishunki / Mongolian Baseball
2014 In za hiro / In the Hero
2014 Miłość za 100 jenów / Hyakuen no koi / 100 Yen Love

Be up to date!

© Fundacja Sztuki Arteria
Our website uses cookies, i.e. small text files that a website saves on your computer or mobile device when you browse the site. Click here to change your cookie settings.