| Eureka - HK release (NTSC Region 3) |
Shinji Aoyama, director of CHIMPIRA, HELPLESS and a few other
films, finally delivers what could be his masterwork. This 217 minute (!)
film is a black-and-white emotional epic that will sear itself into
your mind forever. Aoyama explores the psychological impact of violence on
individuals in our society. News stories present faces of victims and images
of catastrophes both grand and small and, within days or minutes, they are
forgotten and replaced by the latest misery-of-the-moment. While the
horrifying act may remain in the viewer's mind for a while, the individuals
involved in the calamity seem interchangeable. While we move on, they live
with the aftermath of what they went through for the rest of their lives,
and that is the world that Aoyama brings us into in 2000's EUREKA. When a
crazed killer, seemingly without motive, hijacks a municipal bus, there
remain only three survivors: the bus driver and two small children (a
brother and sister). The siblings find themselves isolated from society when
their mother leaves them and their father is killed by a car accident.
Meanwhile, the bus driver (the great Koji Yaksho of KAMAKAZI TAXI, CHARISMA,
CURE, etc.) leaves his family to go travelling. Eventually, the driver moves
back to his home town and becomes reacquainted with the children, who are
now living in squallor. When the kids' college-age cousin comes to visit,
the four of them form a new family of sorts and set out on the road together
in an old bus the bus driver fixes up with beds. When a series of murders
seems to follow them around, they are forced to confront the lasting legacy
of the violence that was perpetrated upon them and they are made to see that
violence often begets more violence unless that cycle can somehow be broken.
Shooting Gallery had the domestic rights to this film in the U.S. and, after
making the rounds at the film festivals in 2000, it hit the arthouse circuit
for a brief stint, gathering glowing reviews with each screening. When
Shooting Gallery fell apart, the film went into a state of limbo. Thus,
there are no plans for a domestic DVD or VHS release of this important film.
For those of you who can play it, this gorgeous Japanese DVD is an essential
purchase.
- Import DVD
- NTSC Region 3
- English Subtitles (Japanese Language)
- 218 Minutes
- Widescreen
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| Price: $18.99 |
| Order: |
| In stock: 1 |
