30 October 2021

Under the Open Sky (Japan, 2020)

A middle-aged former yakuza, Mikami, is released from prison after thirteen years where he was placed for murder. He is struggling to adapt to society and freedom, find a job and communicate normally, but he is also preoccupied by the quest for his mother from whom he was separated as a child. He finds allies in his search for his parent and a place in mainstream society, but the process is not seamless or smooth.

Directed by Miwa Nishikawa (Sway, The Long Excuse), Under the Open Sky looks at the life of a yakuza who's trying to re-enter society but finds himself ostracized and alone in a Japan that almost has left his mob syndicate to history. It's an interesting take on the yakuza genre, showing that when fighting the system you're bound to loose. Mikami is played by Koji Yakusho who gives the character great depth and makes you wish he finds his place somewhere in his new existence, even though Japanese society has deemed his chance already spent. 


Genre: Crime/Drama. 2h 6min.

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