Kontora

Kontora
コントラ
Directed byAnshul Chauhan
Written byAnshul Chauhan
Produced byAnshul Chauhan
Starring
  • Seira Kojima
  • Wan Marui
  • Hidemasa Mase
CinematographyMaxim Golomidov
Edited byAnshul Chauhan
Music byYuma Koda
Production
company
Release dates
  • November 25, 2019 (2019-11-25) (Estonia)
  • March 12, 2020 (2020-03-12) (Japan)
  • July 30, 2020 (2020-07-30) (United States)
  • September 26, 2020 (2020-09-26) (Japan)
  • October 4, 2020 (2020-10-04) (Israel)
Running time
144 minutes
CountryJapan
LanguageJapanese

Kontora (コントラ) is a 2019 Japanese drama mystery film written, directed, produced, and edited by Anshul Chauhan that stars Seira Kojima, Wan Marui, and Hidemasa Mase. Kontora is shot in black-and-white. Kontora is Chauhan's second feature film after Bad Poetry Tokyo, preceded by December.[1] Kontora is also the first Japanese film to receive the Grand Prix award at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival.[2]

Plot summary

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Following her grandfather's (Noriyuki Yamada) WWII-era diary, Sora (Wan Marui) searches for a mysterious treasure in the wilderness of her hometown. Meanwhile, a mysterious mute and backward-walking homeless man (Hidemasa Mase) wanders into town who may be the catalyst to put her shattered relationship with her father (Taichi Yamada) back together.[3][4]

Cast

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  • Seira Kojima as Haru
  • Wan Marui as Sora
  • Hidemasa Mase as the Homeless Man
  • Takuzo Shimizu as Haru's father
  • Taichi Yamada as Sora's father
  • Noriyuki Yamada as Sora's grandfather

Production

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After making Bad Poetry Tokyo, director Anshul Chauhan was approached by a producer to write another script after being impressed by his film. Chauhan then took six to seven months to write a script about bullying at the Yokosuka military academy near Tokyo, however, the producer got scared after reading the script and fled as he believed that it was anti-government.[5]

Themes and inspiration

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The plot of Kontora is based on a real story about Chauhan's grandfather, who was a war veteran, that buried and hid things that were discovered after he had died. Chauhan also based the stories in the grandfather's diary around real letters by soldiers.[5][6]

Filming

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Kontora was shot with a low budget and most scenes where the actors were in a house were shot at Taichi Yamada's house, the actor who plays the father, which is also how he got a role in the film.[5] The film was also mostly shot in Seki, Yamada's hometown.[5]

Release

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Kontora had its world premiere at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival where it won the Grand Prix for Best Film.[7][8] Composer Yuma Koda also won the Best Music prize.[9] Kontora also won the Obayashi Prize at Japan Cuts[3] and Best Picture at the Skip City International D-Cinema Festival.[2] Kontora also screened at the Osaka Asian Film Festival.[10]

Music

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All tracks are written by Yuma Koda

No.TitleLength
1."Sora's Theme"3:47
2."Kontora's Walk"3:09
3."Reverse Rivers"2:38
4."Grandpa's Note"4:32
5."First Encounter"1:27
6."Second Encounter"3:05
7."Seeker"2:20
8."Opening the Case"3:42
9."Reverse Rivers – Recomposed"2:04
10."Salvation"6:21
11."An Ending"4:06
Total length:37:16

Reception

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The film received positive reviews from critics. Kontora has an approval rating of 80% on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, based on 5 reviews.[11] Richard Gray of TheReelBits gave the film a 4.5/5 stars and stated that the film was, "visually striking and often mysterious familial drama doesn’t offer any easy answers, but captivates from the first to last frame."[12] Four Weddings and a Funeral director Mike Newell, stated that Kontora was "brilliantly multi-layered" and "a truly cinematic experience".[8]

References

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  1. ^ Kotzathanasis, Panos (2019-11-27). "Film Review: Kontora (2019) by Anshul Chauhan". Asian Movie Pulse. Retrieved 2023-09-08.
  2. ^ a b "Sneak Preview Screening: "KONTORA" | FCCJ". www.fccj.or.jp. Retrieved 2023-09-08.
  3. ^ a b pvhaecke (2020-07-19). "Kontora (2019) review [Japan Cuts 2020]". psycho-cinematography. Retrieved 2023-09-08.
  4. ^ Cooper, Matt (2021-12-12). "Kontora (2019) by Anshul Chauhan". Japanese Film Reviews. Retrieved 2023-09-08.
  5. ^ a b c d Jason, Genki (15 July 2020). "Interview with Kontora Director Anshul Chauhan [Osaka Asian Film Festival 2020]". Genkinahito. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
  6. ^ Richter, Marina D. (11 December 2019). "Interview with Anshul Chauhan and Max Golomidov: "Kontora" had to be in black and white". Asian Movie Pulse. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
  7. ^ "Kontora – film review". DMovies. 2019-11-25. Retrieved 2023-09-08.
  8. ^ a b Rosser, Michael. "Japan's 'Kontora' is awarded best film at Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival". Screen. Retrieved 2023-09-08.
  9. ^ Dalton, Stephen (2019-12-28). "'Kontora': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2023-09-08.
  10. ^ Scanlon, Hayley (2020-03-09). "Kontora (コントラ, Anshul Chauhan, 2019)". Windows on Worlds. Retrieved 2023-09-08.
  11. ^ "Kontora – Rotten Tomatoes". www.rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved 2023-09-08.
  12. ^ Gray, Richard (2020-07-28). "Review: Kontora". The Reel Bits. Retrieved 2023-09-08.
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