Daily Movie Rec 7/23/2023

Ryuichi Sakamoto: Coda (2017)

"When I'm composing for films, I'm fulfilling someone else's vision. I'm personally constrained, musically. But those constraints can also be a source of inspiration. I often discover new possibilities for myself that I never knew existed."

Directed by: Stephen Nomura Schible

Cinematography by: Tom Richmond & Neo Sora

Country: Japan/United States

Genre: Documentary/Music

Plot:

A glimpse into the life of renowned multi-hyphenate Japanese music artist and activist Ryuichi Sakamoto as he discusses his cancer diagnosis (which would claim his life in March of this year) and both the harmonic and dissonant overlaps between humans, nature, music, technology, destruction, and art.

Reasons to watch:

Sakamoto's wisdom and insights prove him to be a genuinely special human being who faced life's challenges with an open mind and determination - unafraid of immersing himself in either the beauty or ugliness of human existence, seeing the opportunities in both. I was passingly familiar with Sakamoto's involvement with the highly influential electronic band Yellow Magic Orchestra, but I had no idea he composed music for film, and the analysis and anecdotes he provides are brilliant. And hearing him gush over Andrei Tarkovsky's sound design in Solaris (1972) filled me with joy. There's also a moment where the 60-something-year-old Sakamoto puts a bucket over his head and stands in the rain to hear how it patters off the plastic: he's the definition of endearing.

Where to watch:

Mubi