Heat Wave: SONATINE (1993) – Presented by Brandon Lim

The films are hot, but the Revue’s AC will be cranked for the films in this summer’s Heat Wave lineup.

Heat Wave at the Revue Cinema, a lineup of the greatest summer movies ever made, concludes the annual mini-series with  Takeshi Kitano’s cult classic SONATINE with an introduction by Black Belt Cinema curator, BRANDON LIM! 

A group of Yakuza from Tokyo led by Murakawa, a disillusioned gangster prone to violence, take refuge in Okinawa as a turf war begins to escalate. After being ambushed by an assassin, the remaining survivors decide to lay low at a remote beach house. While they await further instructions from their bosses, the group engage in childish games and pranks to pass the time. 

Written, directed, edited by and starring (as ‘Beat’ Takeshi) the inscrutable Takeshi Kitano, Sonatine was commercially unsuccessful upon its release in Japan. Initially deemed “too Japanese” for International audiences by its studio Shochiku, this expectation proved to be wrong when Kitano’s film began to win awards after finding distribution in France. Praised for its slow-paced minimalism punctuated by moments of shocking violence, Sonatine showcases Kitano’s signature ability to balance comedic playfulness with existential dread.

Part of the Heat Wave series!

Cast/Crew Info
Director: Takeshi Kitano | Cast: Aya Kokumai, Tetsu Watanabe, Masanobu Katsumura, Susumu Terajima, Ren Osugi