The Neighbor

The Kobayashi Brothers’ debut feature The Neighbor is a modern interpretation Akira Kurosawa's 1952 classic IKIRU. The protagonist, Shunsuke, is a local bureaucrat like the protagonist from IKIRU but differs from Kanji Watanabe in that he isn't just an individual humbled by the mundane day-to-day of public duties; he also lacks and self-assertiveness. Shunsuke is living a life filled with isolation like so many people in modern Japan today. His unloved and solitary life, nevertheless, attracts a young gay man and an old woman without any family relation. The gay man grows romantic feelings for him and the old woman proposes marriage. For someone like Shunsuke, who preferred to be left alone, this is nothing but unwelcome company.

But learning about the gay man suffering from loneliness and therefore taking his own life, and about the old woman being left with limited days to live, Shunsuke realizes that loving others is the true meaning behind a life's existence.

Just as death isn't a conclusion to its story, "The Neighbor" is a human drama that depicts Shunsuke "living a life" in flashback form after the old woman's death. It is about coming face-to-face with death and through that experience, re-learning the significance of life.”

Screening with IKIRU (separate, discounted admission if seeing both films: $15).