ZERO
(精神0)
dir. Soda Kazuhiro, production associate Kashiwagi Kiyoko. 2019.
128 mins. Japan.
In Japanese with English subtitles.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 28 – 8PM followed by remote Q+A with Soda Kazuhiro and Kashiwagi Kiyoko
ONE NIGHT ONLY!
This event is $10.

At the age of 82, Dr. Yamamoto is suddenly retiring from the clinical field, causing a lot of anxiety for many of his patients who have been relying on him as their lifeline for many years. Now he needs to spend time to care for his wife Yoshiko. In early spring, Dr. Yamamoto and Yoshiko embark on a new life, facing challenges they never faced before.
“Shooting Dr. Yamamoto, a self-described workaholic, I immediately felt that for him, mental healthcare was his life. His work defined who Masatomo Yamamoto was. It gave him a reason to live. And he was about to let that go. When Yamamoto becomes just a human being without a title or role as a doctor, how will he live? Being a workaholic myself, I was really curious. The path he is about to take is the one I will need to take one day. It is actually a universal path that many people must experience some day.

While I was shooting Yamamoto with such a point of view, another protagonist emerged: Yoshiko Yamamoto, his wife. The film turned out to be about the couple rather than the doctor. As a result, I unexpectedly made a film about ‘pure love.'” – Kazuhiro Soda