The Rebirth

Frighteningly realistic, Masahiro Kobayashi’sminimalistic award-winner “The Rebirth”explores the soul-crushing despair of losing achild. Inspired by true events, the film depictsthe relationship between the mother of amurderer and the father of the victim. Livingin an every-day purgatory, both parents try toreach out to one another in order to overcometheir lingering guilt and sorrow. Kobayashi,who also plays the father, presents grief asa meaningless existence based on alienationand daily routine. Through the simplistic andinnovative use of wide angles, and lackingmusic, “The Rebirth” separates the barelyliving from the rest of us. They eat, sleep andwork, only to repeat themselves in a hell-likeenclosed reality.While watching the repetitive behavior of Kobayashi’s characters, small variationsstart to show: Variations carrying a hope forchange, breaking routines that have lost theirmeaning.

Premiere Status
Nordic Premiere: Orig. title
Ai No Yokan: Cast
Masahiro Kobayashi, Makiko Watanabe: Producer
Masahiro Kobayashi: Script
Mashiro Kobayashi: Cinematography
Koichi Nishikubo: Spoken language
Japanese