The owner of a mysterious theater and the stage's beautiful dancers. Clowns and strippers. The composition of the film reminded me of "The Joker" in a strange way. Pure love that no one talks about. Memories of a bygone era. The destination of the film is a very pure sense of loss.
Tamiyo Kusakari - Ballet Dancer/Actress
'I dance because of my love for dance... but I can't live this way well.' Most dancers will relate to this line. The owner of a strip joint who supports the dancers, a young man who is in love with a stripper, and the other characters in this film are all people who are obsessed with dancing and have such feelings simmering in the back of their minds. But in fact, such people may be fewer and farther between. As I watched this film, I suddenly had the thought, - "This is what it means to be alive.”
Norito Yashima - Actor
Director Tokigawa's story and images are beautiful. This film is about stripping, but it is also saying - Why is it that live performances, why is it that physical expression, why is it that the things that excite and inspire people are being abandoned? I think it is a prayer that is akin to a declaration of war against why the things that have excited and inspired people are being abandoned. When the film was shot, it was a story of an eccentric old man, President Kinoshita, who was trying to save the dying existence of the Hiroshima Daiichi Theater, and was fighting against the odds of the modern times. However, I feel that this story is also the antithesis of the "present," where division, prejudice, and selfishness are being exposed by the Corona pandemic.
At a time when the world's values are simultaneously dividing and changing, the expression of the body, the body in front of our eyes, is the most important thing - and if the purity of the work is high, I, the viewer, will be able to empathize, and become angry, excited, or even tightened up in my chest - and that's what I experienced watching this film. I think this film expresses well the universality of film, theater, and music. So I want a lot of people to see it. And I want them to have their own opinions watching this film.
Shinsuke Kasai - Announcer
"A local film from Hiroshima? No, it's a wonderful fantasy, like a Hollywood independent film. Is stripping obscene? No, this film makes you realize how beautiful it is and that it is the "dream" of men and the dancers.
Masaya Kato's performance shines through, and above all, the heroine, Izumi Okamura's sad beauty is overwhelming. When she dances nude on the beach, I saw a heavenly maiden there. I would like women to watch this film too.”
Ai Haruna (TV personality)
A single spotlight in a dark theater illuminates a dancer with glimmering skin.
When I was a child, I had a relative's aunt who was a stripper, and she took me to live with her. I was always backstage, as I was not allowed to enter the theater.
The dancers had all kinds of love stories. Stories of them helping each other, of money, fights, meetings and farewells. I used to see many things in those strippers' dressing rooms, and this movie reminded me vividly of those days. I think this movie is filled with the simple way of human life. The loneliness of losing the theater… I watched it with the same feeling as the theater manager. Please watch this film and feel the memories of falling in love, the farewells, and let long forgotten memories come back to life.
Satori Ito - Film Critic
Watching this film all I could think about was the art of beauty, the temperature of people's hearts and actions, and that having a place to go will save people. I was intoxicated by the melancholicism of this film. The moment I finished watching it, I decided to clean up, and I carefully put on my makeup in the mirror for the first time in a long time.
Maho Morita - Film Writer
As a woman who does not look at strip with a sexual eye, as I watched the striptease scenes in the film, I was filled with sadness. It was not a cheap sympathetic feeling that I felt "sorry" for these women's lives, but that I felt empathy for the sorrow that many of the dancers were experiencing as women.
Shinji Miyadai - Film Critic and Sociologist
The fact that it is based on a true story is amazing. This film shows what our society is currently losing.
Emi Eleonora - Musician, Stage Actress
The theater, the dancers, the neon lights, the kiss marks on the walls, the passage of time, the mixed illusions, the word "closed".... The word "closing"... All of these scenes, so fragile and beautiful, so sad and poignant.
I wondered why people are who they are now. Like a stripper dancing or traveling, the road goes on and on. When we understand the meaning of "destiny," maybe we can all be a little freer. Just like the last scene of this film.
I wanted to watch this movie for a long time, but like the story, time passes, and everything that has a form, will one day be gone. Life will end. But if you love that existence [with all your heart], you will never lose it. Dreams and illusions can remain in that way. This is a film that will remain in my heart. Thank you very much for your wonderful and beautiful work.
Shunji Iwai - Film Director
The owner of a mysterious theater and the stage's beautiful dancers.
Clowns and strippers.
The composition of the film reminded me of "The Joker" in a strange way.
Pure love that no one talks about. Memories of a bygone era.
The destination of the film is a very pure sense of loss.
Tamiyo Kusakari - Ballet Dancer/Actress
'I dance because of my love for dance... but I can't live this way well.'
Most dancers will relate to this line.
The owner of a strip joint who supports the dancers, a young man who is in love with a stripper, and the other characters in this film are all people who are obsessed with dancing and have such feelings simmering in the back of their minds.
But in fact, such people may be fewer and farther between.
As I watched this film, I suddenly had the thought, - "This is what it means to be alive.”
Norito Yashima - Actor
Director Tokigawa's story and images are beautiful.
This film is about stripping, but it is also saying - Why is it that live performances, why is it that physical expression, why is it that the things that excite and inspire people are being abandoned?
I think it is a prayer that is akin to a declaration of war against why the things that have excited and inspired people are being abandoned.
When the film was shot, it was a story of an eccentric old man, President Kinoshita, who was trying to save the dying existence of the Hiroshima Daiichi Theater, and was fighting against the odds of the modern times.
However, I feel that this story is also the antithesis of the "present," where division, prejudice, and selfishness are being exposed by the Corona pandemic.
At a time when the world's values are simultaneously dividing and changing, the expression of the body, the body in front of our eyes, is the most important thing - and if the purity of the work is high, I, the viewer, will be able to empathize, and become angry, excited, or even tightened up in my chest - and that's what I experienced watching this film.
I think this film expresses well the universality of film, theater, and music.
So I want a lot of people to see it. And I want them to have their own opinions watching this film.
Shinsuke Kasai - Announcer
"A local film from Hiroshima? No, it's a wonderful fantasy, like a Hollywood independent film.
Is stripping obscene? No, this film makes you realize how beautiful it is and that it is the "dream" of men and the dancers.
Masaya Kato's performance shines through, and above all, the heroine, Izumi Okamura's sad beauty is overwhelming.
When she dances nude on the beach, I saw a heavenly maiden there. I would like women to watch this film too.”
Ai Haruna (TV personality)
A single spotlight in a dark theater illuminates a dancer with glimmering skin.
When I was a child, I had a relative's aunt who was a stripper, and she took me to live with her.
I was always backstage, as I was not allowed to enter the theater.
The dancers had all kinds of love stories.
Stories of them helping each other, of money, fights, meetings and farewells.
I used to see many things in those strippers' dressing rooms, and this movie reminded me vividly of those days.
I think this movie is filled with the simple way of human life.
The loneliness of losing the theater… I watched it with the same feeling as the theater manager.
Please watch this film and feel the memories of falling in love, the farewells, and let long forgotten memories come back to life.
Satori Ito - Film Critic
Watching this film all I could think about was the art of beauty, the temperature of people's hearts and actions, and that having a place to go will save people.
I was intoxicated by the melancholicism of this film.
The moment I finished watching it, I decided to clean up, and I carefully put on my makeup in the mirror for the first time in a long time.
Maho Morita - Film Writer
As a woman who does not look at strip with a sexual eye, as I watched the striptease scenes in the film, I was filled with sadness.
It was not a cheap sympathetic feeling that I felt "sorry" for these women's lives, but that
I felt empathy for the sorrow that many of the dancers were experiencing as women.
Shinji Miyadai - Film Critic and Sociologist
The fact that it is based on a true story is amazing.
This film shows what our society is currently losing.
Emi Eleonora - Musician, Stage Actress
The theater, the dancers, the neon lights, the kiss marks on the walls, the passage of time, the mixed illusions, the word "closed"....
The word "closing"... All of these scenes, so fragile and beautiful, so sad and poignant.
I wondered why people are who they are now. Like a stripper dancing or traveling, the road goes on and on. When we understand the meaning of "destiny," maybe we can all be a little freer. Just like the last scene of this film.
I wanted to watch this movie for a long time, but like the story, time passes, and everything that has a form, will one day be gone. Life will end.
But if you love that existence [with all your heart], you will never lose it.
Dreams and illusions can remain in that way.
This is a film that will remain in my heart.
Thank you very much for your wonderful and beautiful work.