TONY TAKITANI is an eloquent, deftly told tale based on a short story published in The New Yorker, written by Japanese bestselling author Haruki Murakami (NORWEGIAN WOOD, KAFKA ON THE SHORE). Issey Ogata stars as the title character, a simple, undemanding mechanical draftsman who lives a lonely existence. His mother died shortly after he was born, and his father (also played by Ogata) is a jazz musician who is rarely around. But when Tony meets the young and beautiful Eiko (Miyazawa Rie), he falls for her instantly, despite their 15-year age difference. Their friendship slowly develops into love, and Tony soon discovers that Eiko is a shopaholic who cannot stop buying clothing. When tragedy strikes, Tony is forced to look at his life in a whole different way.
Written and directed by Jun Ichikawa (RYOMA'S WIFE, HER HUSBAND AND HER LOVER), TONY TAKITANI is told in long scenes with little or no dialogue; sometimes the characters themselves finish parts of the narration, which is delivered by Hidetoshi Nishijima at a soft, deliberate pace. The intelligent script, which is extremely faithful to Murakami's original story, is accompanied by Ryuichi Sakamoto's gorgeous, spare score and Hirokawa Taishi's stark, captivating cinematography.
