THE BLESSING BELL
Original Title:Koufuku no Kane
Japan 2002
Director: Sabu
Morning breaks over a desolate factory yard. One of the factories has been shut down. The men, now unemployed, stand around in stunned confusion. No one moves.
Finally, one of the workers, a man by the name of Igarashi, takes a step forward. Aimlessly, he walks down the road, away from the site, as the cars speed past.
Yet, one man is but a thread in the tapestry of life, and as Igarashi moves forward, so too, does the world around him. His journey takes him into a series of worlds unknown to him. As the threads of other lives weave in and out before his eyes, Igarashi watches in silence, drifting through the streets until he realises there is only one place to head.
Screenplay:
Sabu
Cinematography:
Masao Nakabori
Editing:
Soichi Ueno
Music:
Yasuhisa Murase
Principal Cast:
Susumu Terajima, Naoki Nishida
Production: Taro Nagamatsuya, Hiro Fujisaki, Satoru Ogura, Osamu Kubota
35mm / colour / 87 mins
Director's bio-note:
Born in 1964, Sabu began his career as a film actor. He later took up direction and made Bullet Runner (1996) based on his own original script. He also scripted and directed Postman Blues (1997) and Unlucky Monkey (1998).
Both films were shown at many international festivals and were acclaimed worldwide. His fourth feature, Monday (1999) won the FIPRESCI award and the Don Quixote (Special Mention) at the Berlin Film Festival in 2002. He made Drive in 2001 and a short film A1012K in 2002.