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Living in Two Worlds film image; a man and a woman standing side by side

Living in Two Worlds

Bokuga Ikiteru, Futatsu no Sekai / ぼくが生きてる、ふたつの世界

Panorama

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North American Premiere

O Mipo’s stirring, elliptical family drama traces 28 years in the life of Igarashi Dai (Yoshizawa Ryo), a “Child of Deaf Adults” from rural Japan. Blaming his mother (Oshidari Akiko) for his social differences, he leaves his family for Tokyo as a young man, eventually landing a job as a magazine writer. The new friends he makes through a sign language group open his eyes to a diversity of deaf experiences, helping him see his mother in a poignant new light.

Based on a true story, this latest film by O Mipo (director of Japan’s 2015 Oscar submission for Best Foreign-Language Film, The Light Shines Only There) features a beautiful performance from Deaf actors Oshidari Akiko and Imai Akito as Dai’s parents, as well as impressive range from lead actor Yoshizawa Ryo (Kingdom). With handheld camerawork and an evocative contrast between sound and silence, the film makes powerful use of flashbacks that tug at the heartstrings, unfolding a nuanced and emotional depiction of Dai’s experience of Living in Two Worlds.

 

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Director
Cast

Ryo Yoshizawa, Akiko Oshidari, Akito Imai, Yusuke Santamaria

Credits
Country of Origin

Japan

Year

2024

Language

In Japanese with English subtitles

Film Contact
Links
18+
105 min
Cinemas of Asia Drama Family Relations Women Directors
Dai Igarashi, GENTOSHA, Living in Two Worlds Film Committee

Book Tickets

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Credits & Director

Producer

Hideyuki Yamakuni

Screenwriter

Takehiko Minato

Cinematography

Hajime Tanaka

Editor

Hanako Tabata

Production Design

Shimpei Inoue

Original Music

Takuto Tanaka

Mipo O headshot; Living in Two Worlds director

Mipo O

Born in 1977. Mipo O began her career as a script supervisor. Her short film Grandmother (2003) won the grand prize in the Digital Shorts category of the Tokyo International Fantastic Film Festival. Her feature directorial debut, The Sakais’ Happiness (2006), won the Sundance Institute/NHK International Filmmakers Award. The Light Shines Only There (2014) won the Best Director Award in the World Competition section at the Montreal World Film Festival and was selected as Japan’s representative for the Best International Feature Film at the Oscars. Being Good (2015) won the NETPAC Award (Best Asian Film) at the Moscow International Film Festival.

Filmography: The Sakais’ Happiness (2006); Okan no yomeiri (2010); Quirky Guys and Gals (2011); The Light Shines Only There (2014); Being Good (2015)

 

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