The 12 Day Tale of the Monster That Died in 8

Yoka de Shinda Kaiju no Juninichi no Monogatari
dir. Shunji Iwai
Japan 2020, 87’
subtitles: Polish and English

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Polish premiere
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Theatrical Screenings
Th 18 Nov, 17:45
Kinoteka 2
Kinoteka 2
St 20 Nov, 10:30
Kinoteka 3
Kinoteka 3
Online Availability
17 Nov, 10:00 – 29 Nov
Additional Materials
Awards and festivals
World premiere: International Film Festival Rotterdam
Credits
Japan 2020
Duration: 87’
director: Shunji Iwai
screenplay: Shinji Higuchi, Shunji Iwai
music: Toru Fuyuki, ikire
cast: Non, Shinji Higuchi, Moeka Hoshi, Takumi Saitoh, So Takei
producer: Tomoyuki Miyagawa, Aki Mizuno
production: Rockwell Eyes, No Man's Nose
language: Japanese
colouration: colour

Film description

How does Japan deal with disasters? That's an easy question for any pop culture fan – it brings to life kaiju, great monsters which ensure the humanity's survival. A young actor, stuck at home during the lockdown, decides to grow one of the monsters from a capsule sold online, and share the result of his project with his friends on video chat, day by day.

This genuine, lyrical, humorously melancholic diary of the beginning of the pandemic, made DIY-style, is a micro portrait of several people sharing their everyday lives in the uncertain time(lessness) of waiting for the normal life to resume. Director Shunji Iwai is a filmmaker known for his great understanding of pop culture and poetry – since the 1990s, his films have been seducing generations of sensitive adults and teenagers, who appreciate his cinema's quietness and a surreal note, turning the online reality into a slightly fairy-tale world. The director does not try to be pompous, make summaries or prophecies. His elusive project from the spring of 2020 is a record of moments of uncertainty, wrapped in subtle humor, a cure for anxiety – not only that caused by the pandemic.

text:
Jagoda Murczyńska

Shunji Iwai

Born in 1963, graduate of Yokohama National University. The audiences' favorite and one of the most influential filmmakers of his generation, renown for his unique visual style and avaunt-guard narration. Apart from directing, he also a producer, actor and screenwriter. He wrote a novel, composed music for several of his films. Together with his bang Ikire, he recorded three songs for the "The 12 Day Tale."

Selected filmography:

1995 Love Letter

2001 Wszystko o Lily Chou-Chou / Riri Shushu no subete / All About Lily Chou-Chou

2004 Hana to Arisu / Hana and Alice

2012 Vampire

2015 Hana to Arisu Satsujin Jiken / Hana to Arisu Satsujin Jiken

2016 Żona dla Rip Van Winkle / Rippu Van Winkuru no hanayome / A Bride for Rip Van Winkle

2020 Rasuto leta / Last Letter

2021 Dwunastodniowa opowieść o potworze, który umarł w dniu ósmym / Yoka de Shinda Kaiju no Juninichi no Monogatari / The 12 Day Tale of the Monster That Died in 8

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