Great Absence

An emotional depiction of father/son estrangement, a decades-long love story that takes on multiple shades, and, most centrally, a portrait of dementia, Kei Chika-ura’s remarkable drama begins when police raid elderly Yohji’s home before shifting forwards and backwards through time to explain the circumstances that led to the crisis. Though it starts with a bang, the film is more interested in the quieter shocks that permeate the lives of Yohji, his actor son Takashi, and Naomi, the woman Yohji’s lived with since the departure of Takashi’s mom. Unraveling the nuances of these relationships is part of the pleasure of watching Great Absence, but its essence is Yohji’s decline into senility, enveloping everyone around him. Tatsuya Fuji is unforgettable as the alternately raging, wounded, and confused patriarch and deservedly won the Best Actor prize at the San Sebastian Film Festival.