24/16
and the Singapore International Film Festival
Line of Events
Follow a singer who dies suddenly while on tour in Japan, but her spirit lives on as she embarks on a journey to find humanity in the afterlife.. The Singapore premiere, which is also the film’s Southeast Asian premiere, will be co- presented at the 40th edition of the French film festival vOilah!
Spirit World is a multi-layered film that is essentially about two very human impulses
One is a creative instinct that drives artists, and the other is an emotional need for family ties. At the very beginning of the film, we meet three characters who have lost touch with both impulses as they are defined.
This, of course, is a very idealized perspective of this universal question — what happens after we die?
Singer and songwriter Claire (Deneuve), former songwriter and now piano tuner Yuzo (Sakai) and his estranged son Hayato (Takenouchi), an anime director whose best recognized work seems to be behind him. For these three characters, decisions and actions taken in death and in the afterlife are required to find solutions to unresolved problems in life.
Spirit World answers this question very realistically, prosaically
Throwing aside the fear of the unknown and making a choice in favor of helping the living, a selfless search that for our main characters leads to the fulfillment of their own humble desires. This is a life-affirming message from Spirit World: the creative impulse can bear fruit for the healing of family bonds when it is exercised with unselfish intent.
From a technical point of view, Spirit World meets all the requirements of audience engagement
Cute performances are enticing, beautiful landscapes of Takasaka and Chiba (and seascapes) delight the eye, and a tribute is paid to the musical artists of the 60s and 70s, a golden age of creativity that may never be repeated again. A sweet and soulful movie experience for everyone who felt the pull of creativity and family love.