Andaz london liverpool street
X
RYUICHI SAKAMOTO
DOCUMENTARY | JAPANESE | 105 MIN
20 pieces, 5 decades, 1 performance. RYUICHI SAKAMOTO | OPUS features award-winning music from Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence and The Last Emperor, amongst other seminal scores and piano compositions, in his last performance.
Filmed by his son, Neo Sora, it “conjures emotions we don’t have names for.” IndieWire
On March 28th, 2023, legendary composer Ryuichi Sakamoto passed away after his struggle against cancer. In the years leading up to his death, Sakamoto could no longer perform live. Despite this, in late 2022, Sakamoto mustered all his energy to leave the world with one final performance: a concert film, featuring just him and his piano.
Curated by Sakamoto himself and presented in his chosen order, the twenty pieces performed in the film wordlessly narrate his life through his music. The selection spans his entire career, from his popstar Yellow Magic Orchestra period, to his magnificent Bertolucci film scores, to music from his meditative final album, 12. Intimately filmed in a space he knew well, surrounded by his most trusted collaborators, Sakamoto bares his soul through his music, knowing this may be the last time that he can present his art.
A celebration of an artist’s life in the purest sense, Ryuichi Sakamoto | Opus is the definitive swan song of the beloved maestro.
DIRECTOR Neo Sora
MUSIC Ryuichi Sakamoto
COUNTRY OF PRODUCTION Japan
Ryuichi sakamoto | OPUS
DOCUMENTARY | JAPANESE, ENGLISH | 100 MIN
Director's Statement: One of the most important artists of our era, Ryuichi Sakamoto has had a prolific career spanning over four decades, from techno-pop stardom to Oscar®-winning film composer. The evolution of his music has coincided with his life journeys. Following Fukushima, Sakamoto became an iconic figure in Japan’s social movement against nuclear power. As Sakamoto returns to music following cancer, his haunting awareness of life crisis leads to a resounding new masterpiece. Ryuichi Sakamoto: Coda is an intimate portrait of both the artist and the man.
Some of his film score credits include Call Me By Your Name, The Revenant, The Last Emperor and Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence in which he also plays a role opposite David Bowie.
DIRECTOR Stephen Nomura Schible
