

Sidonie in Japan
Description
Isabelle Huppert, one of the best actors working today, crafts a uniquely soft and vulnerable character in Élise Girard’s low-key charmer. The eponymous Sidonie is a writer, predominantly known for an early novel that charted her grief after the deaths of family members in a car crash. Now grieving another loss, she agrees to a brief tour in Japan to celebrate a new translation of this book, accompanied by soft-spoken interpreter Kenzo (Tsuyoshi Ihara). What unfolds is a moving and gentle portrait of a woman slowly emerging from her protective carapace through probing conversations with Kenzo, a side trip to the famous art island of Naoshima, and the ghostly return of her deceased husband. Eschewing broad strokes of closure, Girard instead grabs at the heart with a beautifully nuanced look at a woman who finds a new lease on life.

Élise Girard was a press agent before she turned to filmmaking, beginning her career with two documentaries, Seuls sont les indomptés – L’aventure des cinémas action (2003) and Roger Diamantis ou La vraie vie (2005). She made her narrative feature debut with Belleville-Tokyo (2010), followed by Strange Birds (2017).
Film Details
LanguageFrench, English, Japanese
Original Language TitleSidonie au Japon
Year2023
Runtime95
CountryJapan/Switzerland/Germany/France
DirectorÉlise Girard
ProducerSebastien Haguenauer
Executive Producer10:15 Productions
WriterÉlise Girard
EditorThomas Glaser
CinematographerCéline Bozon
CastIsabelle Huppert, August Diehl, Tsuyoshi Ihara
Print SourceIndie Sales Company
Closed CaptionsClosed Captions are not yet confirmed for this program
Audio DescriptionAudio Descriptions are not yet confirmed for this program
American Sign Language (ASL) InterpretationAmerican Sign Language Interpretation is not currently scheduled for this film