is a 2017 Japanese
science fiction film
Science fiction (or sci-fi) is a film genre that uses speculative, fictional science-based depictions of phenomena that are not fully accepted by mainstream science, such as extraterrestrial lifeforms, spacecraft, robots, cyborgs, interstell ...
directed by
Kiyoshi Kurosawa
is a Japanese film director, screenwriter, film critic and a professor at Tokyo University of the Arts. Although he has worked in a variety of genres, Kurosawa is best known for his many contributions to the Japanese horror genre, his honorific n ...
. It stars
Kaho,
Shōta Sometani
is a Japanese actor from Koto, Tokyo. He is known for his protagonist roles in ''Himizu'' and ''Parasyte''.
Career
Sometani was a child actor. He has worked in both film and television, gaining his first leading role in ''Pandora's Box'', ...
, and
Masahiro Higashide
is a Japanese actor and model. In 2012, he debuted as an actor in '' The Kirishima Thing.''
Career
He debuted as a model in the 19th Men's Non-no Exclusive Model Audition in high school. After graduating from high school, he aimed to become a ...
. It is a spin-off from his 2017 film ''
Before We Vanish
is a 2017 Japanese science fiction film directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa. It is based on a stage play by Tomohiro Maekawa's Ikiume Theatre Company and the novel adaptation written by Maekawa. It stars Masami Nagasawa, Ryuhei Matsuda, Mahiro Takasu ...
''. It was originally produced as a five-part television series on
WOWOW, and was re-edited for theatrical release in Japan on 11 November 2017.
It was selected to screen in the Panorama section at the
68th Berlin International Film Festival
The 68th annual Berlin International Film Festival took place from 15 to 25 February 2018. German filmmaker Tom Tykwer served as Jury President. American film director Wes Anderson's animated film ''Isle of Dogs'' opened the festival, becoming f ...
in 2018.
Plot
A clinical engineer, Tatsuo (
Shōta Sometani
is a Japanese actor from Koto, Tokyo. He is known for his protagonist roles in ''Himizu'' and ''Parasyte''.
Career
Sometani was a child actor. He has worked in both film and television, gaining his first leading role in ''Pandora's Box'', ...
), encounters a new doctor, Makabe (
Masahiro Higashide
is a Japanese actor and model. In 2012, he debuted as an actor in '' The Kirishima Thing.''
Career
He debuted as a model in the 19th Men's Non-no Exclusive Model Audition in high school. After graduating from high school, he aimed to become a ...
), at the hospital. Makabe is an alien who came to invade Earth. Tatsuo is forced to be a guide to help Makabe collect human concepts. Etsuko (
Kaho), who is Tatsuo's wife, notices that she is immune to the alien's influence. She tries to save her husband.
Cast
Release
The film was released in Japan on 11 November 2017. It screened in the Panorama section at the
68th Berlin International Film Festival
The 68th annual Berlin International Film Festival took place from 15 to 25 February 2018. German filmmaker Tom Tykwer served as Jury President. American film director Wes Anderson's animated film ''Isle of Dogs'' opened the festival, becoming f ...
on 21 February 2018.
Reception
Jessica Kiang of ''
Variety
Variety may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats
* Variety (radio)
* Variety show, in theater and television
Films
* ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont
* ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' commented that "''Foreboding'' plays like an unwieldy summary of Kurosawa's gloomy thematic preoccupations and his worst formal tendencies: It's overlong and lacking focus, and the underwater pacing and dissociative, somnolent acting style make it hard to invest in the human characters even before they've been partially zombified." Deborah Young of ''
The Hollywood Reporter
''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Hollywood film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade paper, and in 2010 switched to a weekly large ...
'' wrote, "This Berlin Panorama Special entry seems like an unnecessary variation on the first film, sharing most of its pros and cons, including some eerie moments, slow storytelling and excess length, but lacking its more spectacular action sequences." Contrastingly, Mark Schilling of ''
The Japan Times
''The Japan Times'' is Japan's largest and oldest English-language daily newspaper. It is published by , a subsidiary of News2u Holdings, Inc.. It is headquartered in the in Kioicho, Chiyoda, Tokyo.
History
''The Japan Times'' was launched b ...
'' stated that "Instead of recycling the earlier film, ''Yocho'' is quite different in story and tone ... darker and scarier from beginning to end."
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Foreboding
2017 films
2010s science fiction films
Japanese science fiction films
2010s Japanese-language films
Films directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa
Film spin-offs
2010s Japanese films