Uzumasa Limelight (2014, Ken Ochiai)

Uzumasa Limelight appears to be regarded by critics as a work of Japanese cinema that deals with nostalgic appreciation towards an era in Japanese film history. At the same time, the parallelism that exists between the world of reality and the world on stage is clearly stated by the comparisons between the male protagonist's end of career and his faked death. His career in film industry is threatened by the presence of the new generation that finally pays respect to him at the end of the film. The joy the audience takes in analysing the film is the joy of the viewer who is discovering the cultural perspective of a homage to jidaigeki genre of film. The avoidance of sentimentalism is anticipated by preventing of using many flash back scenes that define the tragic past of the male protagonist. Finally, what characterizes the importance of the role of the female protagonist in the film is her capability of controlling the narrative that is still run by Japanese male dominated society.
Review: By Morad Sadeghi