FACETS CINÉMATHÈQUE
January 2009
The Facets Cinémathèque is located at 1517 W. Fullerton Ave. in Chicago. For more information on films playing in the Cinémathèque, please call 773-281-4114. To order advance tickets online, visit the TicketWeb website by clicking here.
Chicago Premiere
CANARY
(Kanaria)
"[Akihiko] Shiota once again proves himself to be one of a rare handful of directors who really have something crucial to say about contemporary Japanese society... Shiota's strengths as a director lie within his ability to construct such a frank filmic allegory within a rigorously depicted and highly believable cinematic setting, drawing out the realistic aspects of his world in lengthy unbroken handheld takes"
-Midnight Eye
"[Shiota's] patience is a gift"
-New York Times
"Leaves bruises in all the right places"
-TimeOut Chicago
Based on the true events of the deadly gas attacks perpetrated by members of the Aum Shinrikyo cult on the Tokyo subway system,
Canary tells the moving story of two children, each abandoned by their families, who come together in the wake of the scarring event. Twelve-year-old Koichi Hoshi Ishida has grown up within the confines of a religious cult whose dogma has all but destroyed his sense of identity. After this violent event, the cult disbands and Koichi finds himself abandoned by his mother and forcibly separated from his sister. To reunite his broken family, Koichi breaks out of the child welfare system and sets off to Tokyo. While on the run, he meets Yuki (Mitsuki Tanimura), a girl desperate to flee from her abusive father. Koichi and Yuki travel together in search of his sister, facing the inevitable troubles of children making their way in the world without the guidance or protection of adults. The separate traumas of their past cause friction between the two, but their struggles develop a familial bond that allows them to confront both their mutual trauma and an uncertain future. Directed by Akihiko Shiota, 2005, Japan, 132 mins. In Japanese with English subtitles.
YouTube trailer
Midnight Eye
New York Times
TimeOut Chicago
Showtimes:
Sat.-Sun., Jan. 3-4 at 1:30 pm
Tickets: