DREAMING OF THE MERIDIAN ARC reviewed; will screen at Japan Society tomorrow at 1:00 pm

 

 Japan Society NY
and
The Agency for Cultural Affairs, Government of Japan
Presents

Dreaming of the Meridian Arc

Directed by Kenji Nakanishi

With Kiichi Nakai, Keiko Kitagawa, and Kenichi Matsuyama.
Japan, 2022, 111 minutes

DCP, color, in Japanese with English subtitles

 

When: November 12, 2022 at 1:00 pm
Where: Japan Society NY
333 East 47th Street

Buy Tickets

 

Kenichi Matsuyama's contemporary/historical comedy/drama will be shown tomorrow afternoon at Japan Society NY as part of The Female Gaze: Women Filmmakers from JAPAN CUTS and Beyond.

 

Synopsis (courtesy of Japan Society):

 

A locally funded TV dramatization of cartographer Tadataka Ino, the first person to map Japan in 1821, runs into trouble when it’s discovered mid-production that Ino died three years prior to the completion of his map. Weaving between modern day and Edo-era Japan, Dreaming of the Meridian Arc reveals the surprising story of Tadataka's disciples who hid news of their beloved master’s death and risked their lives to clandestinely complete the map in his honor. Adapted for the screen by Yoshiko Morishita (Flower and Sword) from Shinosuke Tatekawa’s rakugo story, Dreaming of the Meridian Arc offers a humorous and entertaining account of the exploits that led to the completion of Ino’s revolutionary map.

 

Review:

 

Considering that it has what I would term one of the lesser time slots in the series' schedule, I was more than pleasantly surprised to find that this film -- although not a masterpiece -- is nonetheless eminently enjoyable. The movie's conceit, if you will, is its use of the same actors playing characters in  the two contemporary sections of the film which bookend the central bloc in which they play historical counterparts to their modern day characters. On the other hand, perhaps the "historical" mid-section can most appropriately be considered the speculative musings of the main character Yasuharu Ikemoto, played by Kiichi Nakai. His subtle double takes when he recognizes a resemblance between present day characters and those in the historical drama are deftly done. Both he and the entire supporting class put in super fine performances and the dialogue and characterizations merit well-deserved credit to screenwriter Yoshiko Morishits, who adapted Shinosuke Tatekawa's rakugo story.

 

AsianCineFest Rating: 3.5 out of 4 stars; very good; a highly entertaining and enjoyable film.

 

Explore the complete series lineup and buy tickets here. All films were selected by the Agency for Cultural Affairs, Government of Japan and Japan Society and will screen in person at Japan Society.