Written and Directed by: Kei Chika-ura
Starring: Mirai Moriyama (Shin Kamen Rider, Inu-oh), Yoko Maki (Like Father, Like Son; After the Storm), Hideko Hara (Shall We Dance?), Tatsuya Fuji (In the Realm of the Senses, Empire of Passion, Bright Future)
Tokyo-based actor Takashi (Mirai Moriyama) returns home after a 20-year estrangement when his father's second wife goes missing, and his father, Yohji (Tatsuya Fuji), shows signs of severe dementia. As Takashi searches for answers, he unravels truths about his present and past.
Variety hails Great Absence as "deft, complex, and delicately devastating," with Fuji's performance described as "shattering" and "unforgettable."
Great Absence was an official selection of the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival, the 2023 San Sebastián International Film Festival (where it won the Silver Seashell for Best Leading Performance for Tatsuya Fuji and the ATENEO GUIPUZCOANO Award), the 2024 Göteborg Film Festival, and the 2024 San Francisco International Film Festival (where it won the Golden Gate Award for Best International Film).
