''Vision'' is a 2018 drama film directed by
Naomi Kawase
is a Japanese film director. She was also known as , with her former husband's surname. Many of her works have been documentaries, including ''Embracing'', about her search for the father who abandoned her as a child, and ''Katatsumori'', about ...
from her own script. It stars
Juliette Binoche
Juliette Binoche (; born 9 March 1964) is a French actress and dancer.
She has appeared in more than sixty feature films and has been the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, a Silver Bear, ...
and
Masatoshi Nagase
is a Japanese actor. He is best known in the West for his roles in Friðrik Þór Friðriksson's '' Cold Fever'' and Jim Jarmusch's ''Mystery Train''.
Nagase was described by Todd Brown of Twitch Film as "one of the great unsung heroes of Japane ...
, with
Takanori Iwata
is a Japanese dancer and actor. He performs with the J-pop, J-Pop groups Sandaime J Soul Brothers and Exile (Japanese band), Exile. As a member of Sandaime J Soul Brothers, he has received the Japan Record Awards twice. He earned his first lead ...
,
Minami,
Mirai Moriyama
is a Japanese actor and dancer.
Life and career
Moriyama started training in dance when he was 5 years old. He trained in jazz dance, tap dance, ballet and hip-hop, and he appeared in several stage roles. He officially made his stage debut with ...
in supporting roles.The film tells the story of a French woman who goes to look for vision, the plant-or-fungus MacGuffin she hears legends about, in an
ancient forest
An old-growth forestalso termed primary forest, virgin forest, late seral forest, primeval forest, or first-growth forestis a forest that has attained great age without significant disturbance, and thereby exhibits unique ecological featur ...
of Japan. There she meets Tomo, and starts a story with him that crosses cultures and languages.
After a Japanese release on June 8, 2018,
''Vision'' made its North American debut at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival and its European debut at the San Sebastiàn Film Festival.
Plot
Jeanne is a French essayist who writes
travelogues
Travelogue may refer to:
Genres
* Travel literature, a record of the experiences of an author travelling
* Travel documentary
A travel documentary is a documentary film, television program, or online series that describes travel in general or t ...
while traveling around the world. She visits Yoshino,
Nara Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Nara Prefecture has a population of 1,321,805 and has a geographic area of . Nara Prefecture borders Kyoto Prefecture to the north, Osaka Prefecture to the northwest, Wakayama P ...
, with her assistant Hana to do some research for her essay. Jeanne is determined to find a mythical herb known as "vision", as she has heard the legend that it can alleviate human pain when it scatters its spores every 997 years. She meets Tomo, a mountain guardian who lives in a mountainous area covered in cedar trees, as she arrives at the
ancient forest
An old-growth forestalso termed primary forest, virgin forest, late seral forest, primeval forest, or first-growth forestis a forest that has attained great age without significant disturbance, and thereby exhibits unique ecological featur ...
, and the two gradually transcend cultural barriers and develop a rapport during the search for the herb. She also gets to know Rin, a mountain guardian like Tomo, Aki, the older, blind forest denizen, Gaku, a hunter, and Gen; they all live in the mountains, and the mountain protect them. Their fates intersect in unexpected ways.
Cast
*
Juliette Binoche
Juliette Binoche (; born 9 March 1964) is a French actress and dancer.
She has appeared in more than sixty feature films and has been the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, a Silver Bear, ...
- Jeanne
*
Masatoshi Nagase
is a Japanese actor. He is best known in the West for his roles in Friðrik Þór Friðriksson's '' Cold Fever'' and Jim Jarmusch's ''Mystery Train''.
Nagase was described by Todd Brown of Twitch Film as "one of the great unsung heroes of Japane ...
- Tomo
*
Takanori Iwata
is a Japanese dancer and actor. He performs with the J-pop, J-Pop groups Sandaime J Soul Brothers and Exile (Japanese band), Exile. As a member of Sandaime J Soul Brothers, he has received the Japan Record Awards twice. He earned his first lead ...
- Rin
*
Mari Natsuki
, more commonly known by her stage name , is a Japanese singer, dancer and actress. Born in Tokyo, she started work as a singer from a young age. In 2007, Natsuki announced her engagement to percussionist Nobu Saitō, with their marriage taking ...
- Aki
*
Minami - Hana
*
Mirai Moriyama
is a Japanese actor and dancer.
Life and career
Moriyama started training in dance when he was 5 years old. He trained in jazz dance, tap dance, ballet and hip-hop, and he appeared in several stage roles. He officially made his stage debut with ...
- Gaku
*
Min Tanaka - Minamoto
Production
The film started shooting in September 2017 and was shot for two and a half weeks in September before it resumed shooting in November. The film was tailored to suit Binoche's schedule. When it transpired that she would be available during September and November, Kawase opted to write a story that was split into two halves. The feature is set in Kawase's native
Nara Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Nara Prefecture has a population of 1,321,805 and has a geographic area of . Nara Prefecture borders Kyoto Prefecture to the north, Osaka Prefecture to the northwest, Wakayama P ...
as many of her films are, with the local Yoshino Mountains and forests figuring prominently in the film. The film's location, deep in the mountains of the director's native Nara, was chosen partly to satisfy the actress's eagerness to see rural Japan.
Kawase and Binoche first met at an official dinner at the
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films o ...
in 2017, and Kawase recalled that "the moment I met her, I knew I wanted to work with her." The project of the two working together was accelerated by Paris-based production company founder Marianne Slot, who was seated next to Kawase at a dinner at 2017's Cannes Festival, and their discussion led to a decision in June for Slot Machine and Kawase's production house Kumie Inc. to collaborate on a film, with Slot bringing in Binoche to star. Wild Bunch handled international sales and Haut et Court pre-bought French rights.
Release
The film opened in Japan on June 8, 2018,
and then made its North American debut at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival and its European debut at the San Sebastiàn Film Festival.
It was released on November 28 in France, 2018,on December 28, 2018 in Spain, and on February 14, 2019 in Germany.
Marketing
''Vision'' was announced on September 7, 2017, revealing that
Juliette Binoche
Juliette Binoche (; born 9 March 1964) is a French actress and dancer.
She has appeared in more than sixty feature films and has been the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, a Silver Bear, ...
would co-star with
Masatoshi Nagase
is a Japanese actor. He is best known in the West for his roles in Friðrik Þór Friðriksson's '' Cold Fever'' and Jim Jarmusch's ''Mystery Train''.
Nagase was described by Todd Brown of Twitch Film as "one of the great unsung heroes of Japane ...
in this new project of
Naomi Kawase
is a Japanese film director. She was also known as , with her former husband's surname. Many of her works have been documentaries, including ''Embracing'', about her search for the father who abandoned her as a child, and ''Katatsumori'', about ...
.
On January 18, 2018, it was announced that Takanori Iwata, Mari Natsuki, Minami, Mirai Moriyama, and Min Tanaka would appear in the film and that the film had finished shooting in early December. On April 26, a special press conference was held in Hotel Gajoen Tokyo, with director
Naomi Kawase
is a Japanese film director. She was also known as , with her former husband's surname. Many of her works have been documentaries, including ''Embracing'', about her search for the father who abandoned her as a child, and ''Katatsumori'', about ...
and
Masatoshi Nagase
is a Japanese actor. He is best known in the West for his roles in Friðrik Þór Friðriksson's '' Cold Fever'' and Jim Jarmusch's ''Mystery Train''.
Nagase was described by Todd Brown of Twitch Film as "one of the great unsung heroes of Japane ...
,
Takanori Iwata
is a Japanese dancer and actor. He performs with the J-pop, J-Pop groups Sandaime J Soul Brothers and Exile (Japanese band), Exile. As a member of Sandaime J Soul Brothers, he has received the Japan Record Awards twice. He earned his first lead ...
,
Mari Natsuki
, more commonly known by her stage name , is a Japanese singer, dancer and actress. Born in Tokyo, she started work as a singer from a young age. In 2007, Natsuki announced her engagement to percussionist Nobu Saitō, with their marriage taking ...
,
Minami attending. The poster and the first trailer of the film were released on the same day, while it was also announced that the film would be released on June 8. The second trailer was released on May 17. On May 25, it was announced that
Juliette Binoche
Juliette Binoche (; born 9 March 1964) is a French actress and dancer.
She has appeared in more than sixty feature films and has been the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, a Silver Bear, ...
would come to Japan for the release of the film. On June 9,
Juliette Binoche
Juliette Binoche (; born 9 March 1964) is a French actress and dancer.
She has appeared in more than sixty feature films and has been the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, a Silver Bear, ...
,
Masatoshi Nagase
is a Japanese actor. He is best known in the West for his roles in Friðrik Þór Friðriksson's '' Cold Fever'' and Jim Jarmusch's ''Mystery Train''.
Nagase was described by Todd Brown of Twitch Film as "one of the great unsung heroes of Japane ...
,
Takanori Iwata
is a Japanese dancer and actor. He performs with the J-pop, J-Pop groups Sandaime J Soul Brothers and Exile (Japanese band), Exile. As a member of Sandaime J Soul Brothers, he has received the Japan Record Awards twice. He earned his first lead ...
,
Mari Natsuki
, more commonly known by her stage name , is a Japanese singer, dancer and actress. Born in Tokyo, she started work as a singer from a young age. In 2007, Natsuki announced her engagement to percussionist Nobu Saitō, with their marriage taking ...
,
Minami, and director
Naomi Kawase
is a Japanese film director. She was also known as , with her former husband's surname. Many of her works have been documentaries, including ''Embracing'', about her search for the father who abandoned her as a child, and ''Katatsumori'', about ...
attended a special greeting event at Shinjuku Piccadilly Cinema in Tokyo.
A preview screening was held at Cinémathèque française in
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
on July 18, 2018, with
Naomi Kawase
is a Japanese film director. She was also known as , with her former husband's surname. Many of her works have been documentaries, including ''Embracing'', about her search for the father who abandoned her as a child, and ''Katatsumori'', about ...
,
Juliette Binoche
Juliette Binoche (; born 9 March 1964) is a French actress and dancer.
She has appeared in more than sixty feature films and has been the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, a Silver Bear, ...
, and
Taro Kono
is a Japanese politician serving as the Minister of Digital Affairs of Japan since August 2022. A member of the Liberal Democratic Party, he previously served as Minister for Administrative Reform and Regulatory Reform from 2015 to 2016 and fro ...
, the Japanese
Minister for Foreign Affairs
A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between coun ...
at the time, attending. It was the first screening of the film outside of Japan.
Reception
The film has a "Certified Fresh" rating of 42% on
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
based on 12 reviews.
''
Variety
Variety may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats
* Variety (radio)
* Variety show, in theater and television
Films
* ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont
* ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' Critic Guy Lodge described the film as " a mixed hessian bag of Kawase's best and worst creative impulses", and stated that "still buoyed by Binoche's ever-disarming presence, it should be her most widely distributed work to date."
Meanwhile,
Cinema Scope
''Cinema Scope'' is an English-language film magazine published in Toronto, Canada.
History and profile
''Cinema Scope'' has been published since 1999 with articles on world cinema. The magazine has compiled a list of the top 10 films of each ...
critic Michael Sicinski was disappointed with the film, writing that "despite the presence of an international superstar (Juliette Binoche) for the first time in Naomi Kawase's filmography, ''Vision'' will not convert anyone to the Kawase cause."
''
Hollywood Reporter
''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Hollywood film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade paper, and in 2010 switched to a weekly larg ...
'' critic Leslie Felperingave also wrote that the film did not work for her, and called the film "the soporific pace and twee quasi-environmentalist, semi-mystical guff about life cycles and dreams foretold will annoy some viewers."
References
External links
*
*
{{Naomi Kawase
2018 films
2018 drama films
Japanese drama films
French drama films
2010s Japanese-language films
2010s French-language films
2010s English-language films
2010s Japanese films
2010s French films