Achilles and the Tortoise (film)
| Achilles and the Tortoise | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Takeshi Kitano |
| Produced by | Masayuki Mori |
| Written by | Takeshi Kitano |
| Starring | Beat Takeshi Kanako Higuchi Omori Nao Aso Kumino Ren Osugi |
| Music by | Yuki Kajiura |
| Cinematography | Katsumi Yanagishima |
| Editing by | Takeshi Kitano |
| Studio | Bandai Visual Tokyo FM TV Asahi WOWOW |
| Distributed by | Tokyo Theatres Office Kitano |
| Release date(s) | September 20, 2008 |
| Country | Japan |
| Language | Japanese |
Achilles and the Tortoise (アキレスと亀 Akiresu to Kame) is a 2008 Japanese film written, directed, edited by Takeshi Kitano. The film is the third and final part of Kitano's surrealist autobiographical trilogy, starting with Takeshis' and continuing with Glory to the Filmmaker!.
The title Achilles and the Tortoise refers to the motion paradox by Greek philosopher Zeno of Elea, Achilles and the Tortoise.
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[edit] Plot
Kitano plays Machisu, who is born into a wealthy family, but loses both his parents as a child. When his father commits suicide after the collapse of his business, Machisu's stepmother (Mariko Tsutsui) sends him to live with an aunt and uncle who mistreat him and finally send him to an orphanage. As a teenager, Machisu attends art school and finds his style of painting challenged by the more experimental and conceptual work turned in by his classmates. However, Machisu strikes up a friendship with a fellow student, Sachiko (Kumiko Aso). They get married and have a daughter. As he grows older, Mashisu's obsession with contemporary art controls his whole life, leaving him insensitive of everything around him, including the death of his own daughter and his wife's desertion. He tries to please the art critics, remaining penniless. He is caught up in a fire and almost dies. Losing all his previous works, he is left with a single half-burnt soda can, which he assesses at 200,000 yen and tries to sell. This ends up kicked carelessly away when his wife picks him up from the street. They walk away together, seemingly finally rid of his artistic obsession.
[edit] Cast
[edit] Reception
The film premiered at the Venice Film Festival on August 28, 2008[1] and won the Bastone Bianco Award (Filmcritica)[2].
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Achilles and the Tortoise at the Internet Movie Database
- (Japanese) Official site at Office Kitano
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