After divorcing, a woman finds happiness with her second husband and forms a new family. But when he dies in a tragic accident, she discovers he wasn’t who she thought he was. A film by Kei Ishikawa, starring Satoshi Tsumabuki, Sakura Ando, and Masataka Kubota.
ある男
A MAN
石川慶
(2022)
Rie Takemoto (谷口里枝 portrayed by Sakura Ando) is a widow who lives with her mother Hatsue (初江 portrayed by Miyako Yamaguchi) and her previously failed marriage’s son Yuto (悠人 portrayed by Yurito Mori). She owns a stationary store where she meets Daisuke Taniguchi (谷口大祐 portrayed by Masataka Kubota), a mysterious man who has recently moved to a small town in Miyazaki prefecture and begins working as a lumberjack. He frequently visits her store to purchase art supplies for his paintings but the real reason is to see her.
They begin their friendship as acquaintances. Rie tells a heartbreaking story about her younger son who died when he was only two years old, and the grief that led to her divorce. Rie and Daisuke fall in love, marry, and start a family. They have a daughter together. Although there’s something strange about Daisuke, he appears frightened when he sees his own reflection but he never explains why.
Several years later, Daisuke dies in a weird accident in front of Yuto (portrayed by Manato Sakamoto). At the funeral, Rie meets Kyoichi Taniguchi (谷口恭一 portrayed by Hidekazu Mashima), Daisuke’s estranged brother for the first time. But when Kyoichi sees the photo of Daisuke, he is startled. Then he tells Rie that the man in the photo is not his brother.
Rie asks Akira Kido (城戸章良 portrayed by Satoshi Tsumabuki), an attorney who previously worked on her divorce case, to assist her in sorting things out. Akira informs her that she will receive money from her late husband’s life insurance regardless of his genuine identity, but the investigation to find his true identity is going to take some time. We’ll refer to him as “Mr. X” from now on.
Why did Mr. X pretend to be Daisuke Taniguchi? Did Mr. X change his name to hide his past crime? Where is the real Daisuke? Is he still alive? There are so many unanswered questions. Akira travels to Gunma prefecture to learn more about the real Daisuke (portrayed by Taiga Nakano) from his brother, who runs a family-owned hotel famous for its hot springs.
Akira visits a bar where Daisuke’s childhood girlfriend Misuzu Goto (後藤美涼 portrayed by Nana Seino) works. She recalls the last time she saw Daisuke was around the time his father died, and then he suddenly vanished without texts or phone calls.
As the mystery surrounding Mr. X unravels, we learn more about his dark past from those who truly knew him. All his life, He had struggled with the fact that his father was a murderer. As a result, he decided to switch identities and start a new life. But every time he looked in the mirror, all he saw was his father’s face, his father’s blood running through his veins, defining him. He was always scared that one day he wouldn’t be able to control himself and would commit an unspeakable crime like his father.
The film tackles a variety of intriguing issues such as trauma of losing the loved ones, social prejudice against ethnicity, the discrimination, the death penalty, inherited traits and the question of one’s true identity. What is it that makes you who you are? The director created memorable moments from simple yet heartfelt conversations everyone can relate. The only scene I felt a bit let down is the reappearance of real Daisuke, I wish he had stayed a mystery and kept the audience speculating where he could be.
Directed by Japanese filmmaker Kei Ishikawa from a screenplay by Kosuke Mukai, A Man is an excellent thriller film based on Keiichiro Hirano’s 2018 novel “ある男” (Aru Otoko). It tells the story of a divorce attorney who accepts an unusual request from a former client to investigate her recently deceased husband after she discovers that he had been living a lie.
This film truly excels in every aspect, from its principal actors to its intricate details. The cinematography is superb, with each shot meticulously framed. I also particularly loved the use of René Magritte’s surrealist painting, “La reproduction interdite,” appearing both at the beginning and the end.
ある男 (A MAN) premiered at Biennale di Venezia on 1 September 2022. It was theatrically released in Japan on 18 November.
The film was nominated for 13 awards in 12 categories at 第46回日本アカデミー賞 (46th Japan Academy Film Prize) on March 10, 2023, including 最優秀作品賞 (Best Picture), 最優秀監督賞 (Best Director), 最優秀脚本賞 (Best Screenplay), 最優秀主演男優賞 (Best Actor), 最優秀助演男優賞 (Best Supporting Actor), 最優秀助演女優賞 (Best Supporting Actress), 最優秀撮影賞 (Best Cinematography), 最優秀照明賞 (Best Lighting), 最優秀音楽賞, (Best Music), 最優秀美術賞 (Best Production Design), 最優秀録音賞 (Best Sound Recording) and 最優秀編集賞 (Best Editing).
It won 8 awards as follows; Best Film (ある男), Best Director (石川慶), Best Actor (妻夫木聡), Best Supporting Actor (窪田正孝), Best Supporting Actress (安藤サクラ), Best Screenplay (向井康介), Best Sound Recording (小川武) and Best Film Editing (石川慶).
