Japanese movie: Antenna

Tonight (Fri Jan 9 2009) on SBS, Kazuyoshi Kumakiri’s Antenna is screening from 10:55 pm. It’s based on a novel by Randy Taguchi.

Yuichiro, a postgraduate student of philosophy, had a little sister called Marie who disappeared 15 years ago. His uncle killed himself after Marie’s disappearance, and his father also died some years later.

News of a kidnapped girl found after nine years stirs up the remaining members of Yuichiro’s family. When he returns to his family home to support his mother and brother, he discovers how his mother has coped with the loss of her daughter. Yuichiro, on the other hand, resorts to inflicting physical pain on himself. When he meets Naomi, a dominatrix, he continues his study on sadomasochistic experience as a means of coping with personal pain.

This film was screened at the 2003 Venice Film Festival and Ryo Kase received Best Actor at the Japanese Professional Movie Awards.

Not one to show the kids, but sounds like it might be worth a look! Subtitled in English.