What It’s About
Theater actor Takeshi (Moriyama) has seen his father Yohji (Fuji) rarely since Yohji abandoned him and his mother years earlier to marry Naomi (Hara). Suddenly, father and son are thrust back together when Naomi goes missing, and it’s revealed that Yohji, a proud, distinguished professor, has advanced dementia. Takeshi experiences a host of complex emotions as he and wife Yuki (Maki) sort through how best to care for Yohji.
Why We Love It
Director Chiki-ura’s second feature (which he co-wrote with Keita Kumano) is remarkably assured, deftly exploring the impact of dementia on victims and their families. Here father and son have long been estranged, so their forced reconciliation is born of necessity, with the father too compromised to make amends with the son he left behind. The whole cast excels, but Fuji’s performance is the stand-out. A man both present and absent, Yohji still projects pride and stature, which only makes his moments of confusion and delusion more heartrending. You’ll want to be fully present for “Great Absence”.