Hirokazu Kore-eda's latest series, 'Asura', delves into the complexities of familial relationships through the lens of infidelity. Set in 1979 Tokyo, the series follows four adult sisters as they grapple with their father's long-standing mistress. Kore-eda, known for his poignant portrayals of family dynamics, masterfully weaves together multiple storylines while capturing the intimate nuances of their interactions.
Of all the cinema’s leading directors who’ve put their imprint on a streaming series, the most low-key but consistent crossover has come from revered Japanese filmmaker Hirokazu Kore-eda.
Asura is based on the Kuniko Mukoda novel Ashura no Gotoku and the author’s screenplay for a 1979 Japanese broadcast television series of the same name.The four women are deeply bonded, but each reacts differently. Takiko wants to intervene, nominally for the sake of their mother, Fuji , while the oldest sister, the widowed Tsunako , has her own secrets that leave her hesitant to be involved.
Kore-eda uses all the tools of a traditional family drama, from everyone being thrown together after a family member is unexpectedly hospitalised to unexpected emotional entanglements. But the plot is never overwhelming; it ebbs and flows with a deeply lived-in feel that’s matched by the cusp of the 1980s production design.
For foreign audiences, the show’s illuminating details, such as the daughters discovering the erotic illustration that once served as sex education for their newly married mother, have an almost anthropological texture. The family members reveal themselves to each other in ways the onlooker never expected, and the circle keeps expanding. Watch how Makiko’s teenage daughter goes from eavesdropping on her mother and aunts to publicly defining herself.
FAMILY JAPANESE CINEMA Hirakazu KORE-EDA DRAMAS TELEVISION
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