Wilderness (2017 film)

Wilderness
Directed byYoshiyuki Kishi
Screenplay byTakehiko Minato
Yoshiyuki Kishi
Based onAa Koya
1966 novel
by Shūji Terayama
Produced byHiromitsu Sugita
Junko Sato
Mitsunobu Kawamura
Ryo Yukizane
Yuko Nakamura
Masahiro Handa
StarringMasaki Suda
Yang Ik-june
CinematographyKozo Natsumi
Release dates
  • 7 October 2017 (2017-10-07) (Japan) (Part One)
  • 21 October 2017 (2017-10-21) (Japan) (Part Two)
  • October 2017 (2017-10) (BIFF)
Running time
Part One: 157 minutes
Part Two: 147 minutes
CountryJapan
LanguageJapanese

Wilderness: Part One & Part Two (Japanese: あゝ、荒野, Hepburn: Ā, Kōya, lit: "Ah, Wilderness") is a 2017 Japanese two-part drama film based on arthouse screenwriter Shūji Terayama's one and only full length novel, Aa Koya, published in 1966. Directed by Yoshiyuki Kishi, it stars Masaki Suda and Yang Ik-june. It premiered in A Window on Asian Cinema at the 22nd Busan International Film Festival.[1]

Plot

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Two "losers" meet by chance when they decide to join a rundown boxing gym by half-blind trainer Horiguchi (Yūsuke Santamaria). Ex-convict Shinji (Masaki Suda), whose father's suicide death impacts his mental health and outward aggressiveness, has just been released from a juvenile detention centre and is out to take revenge on Yuji Yamamoto (Yūki Yamada) who betrayed him and has since become a boxer. Kenji (Yang Ik-june), a mild-mannered half-Korean-half-Japanese barber, is extremely shy and stutters due to a traumatic past with his abusive father. They form an unlikely friendship as they journey their way to become professional boxers and a way back into an unforgiving society.[2][3][4]

Cast

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Awards and nominations

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Year Award Category Recipient Result
2017 60th Blue Ribbon Awards[1] Best Film Wilderness Won
Best Actor Masaki Suda Nominated
42nd Hochi Film Award Best Actor Masaki Suda Won
30th Nikkan Sports Film Award Best Actor Masaki Suda Won
2018 91st Kinema Junpo Award Best Actor Masaki Suda Won
Best Supporting Actor Yang Ik-june Won
41st Japan Academy Prize[1] Best Actor Masaki Suda Won
12th Asian Film Awards[5] Best Supporting Actor Yang Ik-june Won
72nd Mainichi Film Awards Best Actor Masaki Suda Won
13th Osaka Cinema Festival Best Actor Masaki Suda Won
27th Tokyo Sports Film Award Best Actor Masaki Suda Nominated

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Wilderness (あゝ、荒野)". japanesefilmfestival.net. 2017. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
  2. ^ Simons, Roxy (1 August 2018). "Wilderness Part One and Two". easternkicks.com. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
  3. ^ Gray, Richard (24 July 2018). "Review: Wilderness Part 1 + 2". thereelbits.com. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
  4. ^ "Wilderness". BIFF. October 2017. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
  5. ^ Frater, Patrick (17 March 2018). "Asian Film Awards: 'Youth' Wins Top Prize From 'Demon Cat'". Variety. Retrieved 22 October 2022.
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