| Kontora | |
|---|---|
 | |
| コントラ | |
| Directed by | Anshul Chauhan |
| Written by | Anshul Chauhan |
| Produced by | Anshul Chauhan |
| Starring |
|
| Cinematography | Maxim Golomidov |
| Edited by | Anshul Chauhan |
| Music by | Yuma Koda |
Production company | |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 144 minutes |
| Country | Japan |
| Language | Japanese |
Kontora(コントラ) is a 2019 Japanesedramamystery film written, directed, produced, and edited byAnshul Chauhan that stars Seira Kojima, Wan Marui, and Hidemasa Mase.Kontora is shot inblack-and-white.Kontora is Chauhan's second feature film afterBad Poetry Tokyo, preceded byDecember.[1]Kontora is also the first Japanese film to receive the Grand Prix award at theTallinn Black Nights Film Festival.[2]
Following her grandfather's (Noriyuki Yamada)WWII-eradiary, Sora (Wan Marui) searches for a mysterious treasure in the wilderness of her hometown. Meanwhile, a mysteriousmute and backward-walkinghomeless man (Hidemasa Mase) wanders into town who may be the catalyst to put her shattered relationship with her father (Taichi Yamada) back together.[3][4]
After makingBad Poetry Tokyo, directorAnshul Chauhan was approached by a producer to write another script after being impressed by his film. Chauhan then took six to seven months to write a script about bullying at theYokosuka military academy nearTokyo, however, the producer got scared after reading the script and fled as he believed that it was anti-government.[5]
The plot ofKontora is based on a real story about Chauhan's grandfather, who was awar veteran, that buried and hid things that were discovered after he had died. Chauhan also based the stories in the grandfather's diary around real letters by soldiers.[5][6]
Kontora was shot with alow budget and most scenes where the actors were in a house were shot at Taichi Yamada's house, the actor who plays the father, which is also how he got a role in the film.[5] The film was also mostly shot inSeki, Yamada's hometown.[5]
Kontora had its world premiere at theTallinn Black Nights Film Festival where it won the Grand Prix for Best Film.[7][8] Composer Yuma Koda also won the Best Music prize.[9]Kontora also won the Obayashi Prize atJapan Cuts[3] and Best Picture at the Skip City International D-Cinema Festival.[2]Kontora also screened at theOsaka Asian Film Festival.[10]
All tracks are written by Yuma Koda
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Sora's Theme" | 3:47 |
| 2. | "Kontora's Walk" | 3:09 |
| 3. | "Reverse Rivers" | 2:38 |
| 4. | "Grandpa's Note" | 4:32 |
| 5. | "First Encounter" | 1:27 |
| 6. | "Second Encounter" | 3:05 |
| 7. | "Seeker" | 2:20 |
| 8. | "Opening the Case" | 3:42 |
| 9. | "Reverse Rivers – Recomposed" | 2:04 |
| 10. | "Salvation" | 6:21 |
| 11. | "An Ending" | 4:06 |
| Total length: | 37:16 | |
The film received positive reviews from critics.Kontora has an approval rating of 80% onreview aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes, based on 5 reviews.[11] Richard Gray ofTheReelBits gave the film a 4.5/5 stars and stated that the film was, "visually striking and often mysterious familial drama doesn’t offer any easy answers, but captivates from the first to last frame."[12]Four Weddings and a Funeral directorMike Newell, stated thatKontora was "brilliantly multi-layered" and "a truly cinematic experience".[8]