Su-ki-da
Encyclopedia
Su-ki-da is a 2005 Japanese
drama
/romance
film
. The plot centers on two teenagers
who deal with tragedy and then have to grow up. It was written and directed by Hiroshi Ishikawa
and stars Hidetoshi Nishijima
, Hiromi Nagasaku
, Eita
, and Aoi Miyazaki
.
student in Tokyo, Japan
. He spends most of his free time sitting outside near a floodgate
and playing a short tune on his acoustic guitar
- the same few notes every time. He is usually joined by a girl in his class, Yu, who simply sits near him and listens to his music. Yu has a crush on Yosuke but does not tell him. After listening to him play the guitar, she goes home and hums the notes to her older sister. Her older sister used to have a serious boyfriend, but he has died recently, and she is still mourning for him.
One day, Yosuke asks Yu about her sister. He is attracted to Yu's sister, and Yu sets up a few meetings between them. He also gets Yu to wear her sister's old school uniform
for a day. While talking with Yosuke after school, Yu finally kisses him, but Yosuke just walks away; Yu is left there, crying. Yosuke keeps meeting Yu's sister, but before one meeting, Yu's sister gets hit by a truck while walking over to see him. She goes into a coma
. Yu and Yosuke visit her at the hospital, and on their way home, Yu tells Yosuke that she wants to hear his song on the guitar when he finishes it.
The two do not see each other again for 17 years. During that time, Yosuke enters the music production
business and eventually gives up his guitar playing. He lives alone in an apartment. One day, he sees an intoxicated woman lying in the street and a man standing over her. Yosuke stares at the man, presumably a robber, and the man walks away. Yosuke goes into the studio a few days later and listens as a woman records some music on her guitar. During a break in recording, she looks at him and plays a few notes from the song he made in his school days. He realizes that the woman is Yu.
After catching up, the two go back to Yosuke's apartment and drink sake. Eventually, Yosuke asks about Yu's sister and finds out that she is still in a coma. Yu starts to cry, and Yosuke comforts her. They then kiss each other for the second time in their lives. Afterwards, they visit Yu's sister at the hospital, and Yu leaves at the train station. Yosuke looks her up in the phone book and calls to say that he wants to play the finished song for her. They set up a meeting. On the way there, Yosuke gets stabbed by the same man who before had planned to rob the drunk woman. Yosuke lies in the street, bleeding, while Yu waits for him.
Yosuke ends up in the hospital. Yu sits there by his side, and when he finally regains consciousness, she whispers, "I love you." Yosuke then replies that he loves her, too.
composed the score, including Yosuke's song that plays throughout most of the film. It was shot in Tokyo, Japan.
The Japanese title Su-ki-da translates to "I love you" in English.
on April 8.
Critical reviews were mixed. According to Variety
s Eddie Cockrell (who viewed it at the NMFF), the film was filled with "unchecked indulgences." He criticized the director, writing that: "Jump cuts, cryptic silences, shots of various cloud formations and long takes bereft of movement are key weapons in Ishikawa's self-consciously arty arsenal, with little in the way of story or character development to engage viewers; Gus van Sant
he's not."
On the other hand, DVDBeaver.com praised the film for its "heartfelt story," "excellent visuals," and "great cast." The reviewer noted its lack of dialogue but also said that "the characters' body language says more than any words could ever express."
The DVD
was released in Japan on September 22, 2006, by Big Time Entertainment. It includes English and French subtitles
.
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
drama
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
/romance
Romance film
Romance films are love stories that focus on passion, emotion, and the affectionate involvement of the main characters and the journey that their love takes through courtship or marriage. Romance films make the love story or the search for love the main plot focus...
film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
. The plot centers on two teenagers
Adolescence
Adolescence is a transitional stage of physical and mental human development generally occurring between puberty and legal adulthood , but largely characterized as beginning and ending with the teenage stage...
who deal with tragedy and then have to grow up. It was written and directed by Hiroshi Ishikawa
Hiroshi Ishikawa
Hiroshi Ishikawa is a film director and writer. He is best known for his 2005 film, Su-ki-da . He won the Silver Iris for Best Director at the New Montreal Film Festival.-External links:...
and stars Hidetoshi Nishijima
Hidetoshi Nishijima
is a Japanese politician of the Liberal Democratic Party, a member of the House of Councillors in the Diet . A native of Nichinan, Miyazaki and graduate of Nippon Medical School, he was elected for the first time in 2004.- External links :...
, Hiromi Nagasaku
Hiromi Nagasaku
Hiromi Nagasaku is an actress, and was the member of the J-pop group Ribbon. She was born in Namegata, Ibaraki, Japan...
, Eita
Eita
is a Japanese actor from Tokyo, Japan. His birth name is . He has appeared in many Japanese television dramas and movies; most notable is the TV series Water Boys...
, and Aoi Miyazaki
Aoi Miyazaki
is a Japanese actress. She is best known for her pure image and roles such as in Nana and Virgin Snow. Her brother Masaru Miyazaki is an actor, and they starred together in the film Hatsukoi. She married Sosuke Takaoka on June 15, 2007, her partner since she was fifteen.-Career:Miyazaki started...
.
Plot
Yosuke is a high schoolHigh school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
student in Tokyo, Japan
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
. He spends most of his free time sitting outside near a floodgate
Floodgate
Floodgates are adjustable gates used to control water flow in flood barriers, reservoir, river, stream, or levee systems. They may be designed to set spillway crest heights in dams, to adjust flow rates in sluices and canals, or they may be designed to stop water flow entirely as part of a levee or...
and playing a short tune on his acoustic guitar
Acoustic guitar
An acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
- the same few notes every time. He is usually joined by a girl in his class, Yu, who simply sits near him and listens to his music. Yu has a crush on Yosuke but does not tell him. After listening to him play the guitar, she goes home and hums the notes to her older sister. Her older sister used to have a serious boyfriend, but he has died recently, and she is still mourning for him.
One day, Yosuke asks Yu about her sister. He is attracted to Yu's sister, and Yu sets up a few meetings between them. He also gets Yu to wear her sister's old school uniform
School uniform
A school uniform is an outfit—a set of standardized clothes—worn primarily for an educational institution. They are common in primary and secondary schools in various countries . When used, they form the basis of a school's dress code.Traditionally school uniforms have been largely subdued and...
for a day. While talking with Yosuke after school, Yu finally kisses him, but Yosuke just walks away; Yu is left there, crying. Yosuke keeps meeting Yu's sister, but before one meeting, Yu's sister gets hit by a truck while walking over to see him. She goes into a coma
Coma
In medicine, a coma is a state of unconsciousness, lasting more than 6 hours in which a person cannot be awakened, fails to respond normally to painful stimuli, light or sound, lacks a normal sleep-wake cycle and does not initiate voluntary actions. A person in a state of coma is described as...
. Yu and Yosuke visit her at the hospital, and on their way home, Yu tells Yosuke that she wants to hear his song on the guitar when he finishes it.
The two do not see each other again for 17 years. During that time, Yosuke enters the music production
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
business and eventually gives up his guitar playing. He lives alone in an apartment. One day, he sees an intoxicated woman lying in the street and a man standing over her. Yosuke stares at the man, presumably a robber, and the man walks away. Yosuke goes into the studio a few days later and listens as a woman records some music on her guitar. During a break in recording, she looks at him and plays a few notes from the song he made in his school days. He realizes that the woman is Yu.
After catching up, the two go back to Yosuke's apartment and drink sake. Eventually, Yosuke asks about Yu's sister and finds out that she is still in a coma. Yu starts to cry, and Yosuke comforts her. They then kiss each other for the second time in their lives. Afterwards, they visit Yu's sister at the hospital, and Yu leaves at the train station. Yosuke looks her up in the phone book and calls to say that he wants to play the finished song for her. They set up a meeting. On the way there, Yosuke gets stabbed by the same man who before had planned to rob the drunk woman. Yosuke lies in the street, bleeding, while Yu waits for him.
Yosuke ends up in the hospital. Yu sits there by his side, and when he finally regains consciousness, she whispers, "I love you." Yosuke then replies that he loves her, too.
Cast
- Hidetoshi Nishijima as Yosuke
- Hiromi NagasakuHiromi NagasakuHiromi Nagasaku is an actress, and was the member of the J-pop group Ribbon. She was born in Namegata, Ibaraki, Japan...
as Yu - EitaEitais a Japanese actor from Tokyo, Japan. His birth name is . He has appeared in many Japanese television dramas and movies; most notable is the TV series Water Boys...
as Yosuke (young) - Aoi MiyazakiAoi Miyazakiis a Japanese actress. She is best known for her pure image and roles such as in Nana and Virgin Snow. Her brother Masaru Miyazaki is an actor, and they starred together in the film Hatsukoi. She married Sosuke Takaoka on June 15, 2007, her partner since she was fifteen.-Career:Miyazaki started...
as Yu (young) - Sayuri Oyamada as Yu's older sister
Production
The film was directed by Hiroshi Ishikawa and was his second full-length feature, after the 2003 film Tokyo.Sora. In addition to directing, Ishikawa was also the writer, editor, and cimematographer. Yoko KannoYoko Kanno
is a composer, arranger and musician best known for her work on the soundtracks for many games, anime films, TV series, live-action movies, and advertisements...
composed the score, including Yosuke's song that plays throughout most of the film. It was shot in Tokyo, Japan.
The Japanese title Su-ki-da translates to "I love you" in English.
Release and reception
Su-ki-da was premiered at the New Montreal Film Festival on September 23, 2005. It won one award, the Silver Iris for Best Director. The film was released in Japan on February 26, 2006 and was also shown at the Hong Kong International Film FestivalHong Kong International Film Festival
The Hong Kong International Film Festival is a platform for filmmakers, film professionals and filmgoers from all over the world to launch and experience new film work. There are seminars, conferences, exhibitions, and parties celebrating the festival community...
on April 8.
Critical reviews were mixed. According to Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
s Eddie Cockrell (who viewed it at the NMFF), the film was filled with "unchecked indulgences." He criticized the director, writing that: "Jump cuts, cryptic silences, shots of various cloud formations and long takes bereft of movement are key weapons in Ishikawa's self-consciously arty arsenal, with little in the way of story or character development to engage viewers; Gus van Sant
Gus Van Sant
Gus Green Van Sant, Jr. is an American director, screenwriter, painter, photographer, musician, and author. He is a two time nominee of the Academy Award for Best Director for his 1997 film Good Will Hunting and his 2008 film Milk, both of which were also nominated for Best Picture, and won the...
he's not."
On the other hand, DVDBeaver.com praised the film for its "heartfelt story," "excellent visuals," and "great cast." The reviewer noted its lack of dialogue but also said that "the characters' body language says more than any words could ever express."
The DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
was released in Japan on September 22, 2006, by Big Time Entertainment. It includes English and French subtitles
Subtitle (captioning)
Subtitles are textual versions of the dialog in films and television programs, usually displayed at the bottom of the screen. They can either be a form of written translation of a dialog in a foreign language, or a written rendering of the dialog in the same language, with or without added...
.