The Backwater

The Backwater
	Poster
	共喰い
Directed by	Shinji Aoyama
Produced by	Naoki Kai
Written by	Haruhiko Arai
Based on	Tomogui; by Shinya Tanaka
Starring	Masaki Suda; Ken Mitsuishi; Yūko Tanaka
Music by	Isao Yamada; Shinji Aoyama
Cinematography	Takahiro Imai
Edited by	Genta Tamaki
Production; company	Style Jam
Distributed by	Bitters End
Release date	September 7, 2013 (Japan);
Running time	102 minutes
Country	Japan
Language	Japanese

The Backwater (共喰い, Tomogui) is a 2013 Japanese drama film directed by Shinji Aoyama, starring Masaki Suda.[1] It is based on the Akutagawa Prize-winning novel by Shinya Tanaka and adapted by Haruhiko Arai. The film won the Best Director award from the Swiss critics' federation and the Best Film award from the Junior Jury's at the 2013 Locarno International Film Festival.[2]

Plot

Toma (Masaki Suda) lives with his father, Madoka (Ken Mitsuishi), and Madoka's lover, Kotoko (Yukiko Kinoshita) on the riverside in Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture. Toma's mother, Jinko (Yūko Tanaka), resides on the other side of the bridge, making a living by cleaning fish. Madoka routinely beats and chokes women when having a sex. As Madoka's son, Toma is afraid of becoming like his father.

On his 17th birthday in 1988, Toma has sex with his girlfriend, Chigusa (Misaki Kinoshita).

Cast

Masaki Suda as Toma
Misaki Kinoshita as Chigusa
Yukiko Shinohara as Kotoko
Ken Mitsuishi as Madoka
Yūko Tanaka as Jinko
Ittoku Kishibe as Detective

Production

The song "Torna a Surriento" was used in the closing credits of the film.[3]

Release

The film screened in competition at the 2013 Locarno International Film Festival.[4][5]

Reception

Jinshi Fujii of Yomiuri Shimbun praised the film, noting that "Aoyama has succeeded in transmigrating the tradition of Japanese film through something more than mere repetition."[6] Meanwhile, Dan Fainaru of Screen International felt that "the script relies mostly on its female characters that are unsurprisingly far more alive and interesting than the men in their lives, and the same goes for the performances of the three lead actresses."[7]

References

Noh, Jean (May 3, 2013). "Rezo picks up Aoyama's Backwater". Screen International.
Young, Neil (August 25, 2013). "Backwater (Tomogui): Locarno Review". The Hollywood Reporter.
Schilling, Mark (September 12, 2013). "Aoyama looks to the 1980s without nostalgia". The Japan Times.
Belsito, Peter (July 21, 2013). "Locarno Film Festival Lineup". IndieWire.
Maheshwari, Laya (August 16, 2013). "Kiyoshi Kurosawa and Shinji Aoyama on Japanese Film and Why 'Oblivion' Should Be in the Art House". IndieWire.
Fujii, Jinshi (February 22, 2013). "Blood and Transmigration - Shinji Aoyama's Tomogui (The Backwater)". Yomiuri Shimbun.
Fainaru, Dan (August 14, 2013). "Backwater". Screen International.

External links

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[1] Noh, Jean (May 3, 2013). "Rezo picks up Aoyama's Backwater". Screen International.

[2] Young, Neil (August 25, 2013). "Backwater (Tomogui): Locarno Review". The Hollywood Reporter.

[3] Schilling, Mark (September 12, 2013). "Aoyama looks to the 1980s without nostalgia". The Japan Times.

[4] Belsito, Peter (July 21, 2013). "Locarno Film Festival Lineup". IndieWire.

[5] Maheshwari, Laya (August 16, 2013). "Kiyoshi Kurosawa and Shinji Aoyama on Japanese Film and Why 'Oblivion' Should Be in the Art House". IndieWire.

[6] Fujii, Jinshi (February 22, 2013). "Blood and Transmigration - Shinji Aoyama's Tomogui (The Backwater)". Yomiuri Shimbun.

[7] Fainaru, Dan (August 14, 2013). "Backwater". Screen International.