US-based distribution hub SAKKA is set to distribute a Japanese film “Noise” directed by Yusaku Matsumoto later this month. The film was initially released in Japan in 2019 after being highly praised by the film critics around the world. It was screened at numerous film festivals including the 25th Raindance Film Festival in UK where the film was nominated for Best Film in the competition as well as the 41st Festival des Films du Monde in Canada. SAKKA release will accompany exclusive bonus contents such as a newly edited behind-the-scenes featurette and the director's scene commentary.
Eight years after the indiscriminate mass killing in Akihabara, the people who were affected still struggle to come to terms behind the neon lights of the “epicenter of otaku culture”. A young group of protagonists who live in the aftermath of this random act of violence, dealing with trauma, failed family and alienation, desperately try to seek the faintest hope out of total hopelessness in a senseless world. When the victims are pushed to the edge and become the next assailants, who is to blame? Only when you listen closely, you hear their desperate cry in a sea of noise.
The director Yusaku Matsumoto is one of the most sought-after young directors in Japan today. His latest feature “Winny”, a real-life story following the rise and fall of the creator of Winny, a file sharing software released in 2002, opens theatrically in Japan on March 11, 2023. His other recent films include “It's All My Fault” (2022) starring Haruto Shiratori and Joe Odagiri.
Matsumoto made a powerful debut with “Noise” at the age of 23. When he was in high school, the infamous Akihabara Massacre took place where a 25-year-old guy drove into the crowd then went on to stab a dozen random people. Around the same time, Matsumoto lost his childhood friend to suicide. Though these two incidents were completely unrelated, he felt that they somehow had a shared relevance, and started thinking about the fundamental resemblance of what drives people to suicide and to homicide.
“The story centers around the Akihabara Massacre that took place in 2008. Why did such an incident happen? What could we do to help prevent the same tragedy from happening again? This film was my attempt to find answers to those questions.” In the exclusive interview with SAKKA upon the release, Matsumoto recalls his debut film, “I shot this film 7 or 8 years ago, and this is my very first feature. In terms of technical elements, I must say I cannot help but see my immaturity. However, I believe this film could have been made only by who I was at that time. Perhaps it's no longer possible for me to make a film with the same sensibility that I had at that time. So, in a way, this film is like my origin and the starting point. I hope people watch and enjoy the film.”
You can read Asia Movie Pulse's review of “Noise” HERE.
Following the release of “Noise”, SAKKA is preparing another special release from the director Yusaku Matsumoto, the details of which will be announced in the coming weeks.
