“Come And Go”, the latest film from Japan-based Malaysian director Lim Kah-wai (“New World”, “Fly MeTo Minami”), is set for a world premiere at the 33rd Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF), which will take place from 31 October – 9 November. The film will be presented in Tokyo Premiere 2020, vying for the audience award. “Come And Go” is the eighth film of Lim and his most ambitious so far. With an epic running time of 158 minutes, the drama crosscuts eight stories with 14 principal characters as they struggle to find solace in contemporary Osaka. Some characters cross paths in the sometimes interlinked stories, while other characters remain unconnected, but they all share the same dream for a better future.The pan-Asian ensemble cast come from nine countries and speak seven different languages in the film.
They include:
Taiwan – Lee Kang-sheng (Tsai Ming-liang's “Days”) as a porn addict | Vietnam – Lien Binh Phat (“Song Lang”) as a migrant worker | Malaysia – JC Chee (“Ola Bola”) as a travel executive | Myanmar – model-actress Nang Tracy as a foreign student | Nepal – singer Mousam Gurung as a refugee | Hong Kong – David Siu Chung-hang (“Napping Kid”) as a tour guide | China – Gouzi (“After All These Years”) as a tourist from China | South Korea – Lee Kwang Soo (“Father Is A Dog”) as a pimp | Japan – TV comedian Seiji Chihara as a police detective | Japan – Makiko Watanabe (“37 Seconds”) as a Japanese language teacher | Japan – nude model Manami Usamaru (“Sisterhood”) as a country girl making ends meet | Japan – Shogen (Brillante Mendoza's upcoming “Gensan Punch”) as a porn video director from Okinawa | Japan – Jakujaku Katsura (“Family Secrets”) as an elderly man living alone | Japan – Orson Mochizuki (“Bad Poetry Tokyo”) as a half-Japanese half-American odd job worker.
The story is inspired by the personal experiences and observations of Lim who has studied and worked in Japan for many years. Lim states: “Traditionally, Japan was mostly a mono-lingual and mono-cultural society. Yet I've witnessed dramatic social changes over the last decade, with the influx of foreign workers from Asia. But it doesn't mean that homogenized Japan has finally opened up to foreigners. They may work together, but cultural barriers and social indifference remain. It's only apt that “Come And Go” opens with the discovery of the skeleton remains of an elderly woman who has died in her own home unnoticed for months”. The story unfolds over three days and two nights, during the beautiful but brief cherry blossom season in April. Filming took place entirely in the area of Umeda, the business district of Osaka, making “Come And Go” the final installment of Lim's Osaka trilogy, which began with 2011's “New World” (set around Christmas in Osaka's old district Shinsekai) and 2013's “Fly MeTo Minami” (set around New Year in Osaka's fashionable district Minami).
“Come And Go” is produced by Osaka-based Cinema Drifters. It is directed, written and edited by Lim.Tokyo Premiere 2020 is a new showcase created as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. Unlike previous years when the different competition sections would hand out their respective awards selected by international juries, TIFF offers only one award this year – the audience award which will be selected by the audiences attending the in-person screenings.
Lim has proved a truly pan-Asian filmmaker as his films were often set in different Asian countries with multi-national cast: “After All These Years” was filmed in China; “Magic And Loss”was filmed in Hong Kong, featuring Japanese and South Korean actors; “New World” was filmed in Beijing and Osaka, with a Chinese lead actress; “Fly Me To Minami” was filmed in Hong Kong, South Korea and Osaka, with a local cast from each location.Outside Asia, he has made two independent films with small crews and local amateur actors in the Balkan regions: “No Where, Now Here” was made in Slovenia and Macedonia in 2017 and “Somewhen, Somewhere” in Serbia, Montenegro and Croatia in 2018.
Filmography
2010 After All These Years
2010 Magic And Loss
2011 New World (Shinsekai Story)
2013 Fly Me To Minami
2016 Love In Late Autumn
2018 No Where, Now Here
2019 Somewhen, Somewhere
2020 Come and Go
