Great Absence

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Great Absence

Released Jul 19, 2024

2h 32m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

86%

Tomatometer

14 Reviews

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Ratings

A father and son who've been estranged for a long time finally reconcile among lost memories and dispersed pieces of lives.

Claudia Puig

FilmWeek (KPCC - NPR Los Angeles)

It's quite moving and really noteworthy for the performance of the veteran Japanese actor Tatsuya Fuji.

Aug 3, 2024

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Robert Abele

Los Angeles Times

A beguiling and touching transference of understanding across time and memory.

Jul 29, 2024

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Brian Tallerico

RogerEbert.com

Cconveys the bursts of anger and lashing out that often adjoin dementia, and it makes for a showcase for one of Japan’s best actors.

Rated: 3/4

Jul 21, 2024

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Javier Ocaña

Cinemanía (Spain)

The confusion of the film is greater than that of its insane character... [Full review in Spanish]

Rated: 2.5/5

Oct 23, 2024

Full Review

Dennis Harvey

48 Hills

The reality of these situations gets teased out over a methodically paced two and a half hours whose low-key intricacy is rewarding, but requires close attention.

Aug 30, 2024

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Todd Jorgenson

Cinemalogue

A deeply felt performance by Fuji infuses the inherent melancholy with empathetic grace, quiet dignity, and relatable humanity.

Aug 7, 2024

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Moody C

It’s a long movie but doesn’t feel too long since story is somewhat captivating. I did enjoyed the local Japan locale - looks like a small town near the beach so quite beautiful and different from the usual busy Tokyo scene. The son goes around town talking to various townspeople to learn more about his dad’s past but may seem confusing at times because these scenes feel disjointed. I can’t really make out what happened to the dad at the very end since storytelling is very subtle and not at all obvious.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

07/25/24

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Kei Chikaura

Director

Mirai Moriyama

Actor

Tatsuya Fuji

Actor

Yôko Maki

Actor

Hideko Hara

Actor

Kei Chikaura

Screenwriter

Ali & Ava

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Synopsis

A father and son who've been estranged for a long time finally reconcile among lost memories and dispersed pieces of lives.

Director: Kei Chikaura
Producer: Kei Chikaura, Miho Horiike
Screenwriter: Kei Chikaura, Keita Kumano
Distributor: Gaga
Production Co: Creatps, Kodak Japan
Genre: Drama
Original Language: Japanese
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 19, 2024, Limited
Box Office (Gross USA): $9.8K
Runtime: 2h 32m