A 4K restoration of Moving, the classic 1993 film by the late Shinji Somai, will be seen in select U.S. and Canadian theaters in 2024, thanks to Cinema Guild, which has just acquired North American distribution rights from MK2 Films. Earlier this year, Cinema Guild had released two other films by Somai: P.P. Rider (1983) and Typhoon Club (1985).
Moving won the prize for best restored film at this year’s Venice Biennale. The original version premiered at the Cannes Film Festival’s Un Certain Regard section in 1993.
The coming-of-age film narrates the saga of Renko, played by Tomoko Tabata, a young girl dealing with her parents’ separation.
In announcing plans for next year’s release, Edward McCarry of Cinema Guild stated: “Moving shows Shinji Somai’s style at its most finely tuned and emotionally operatic. Somai used long takes to focus the energy of his young actors into uniquely physical performances, and Tomoko Tabata as Renko is the quintessential Somai youth.
The screen radiates with her life force. We’re very proud to continue flying the flag of Somai with this film, the perfect gateway into his vital body of work.”
The 4K restoration was accomplished by Yomiuri Telecasting Corporation under the direction of cinematographer Toyomichi Kurita. Following its theatrical release next year, a 4K/Blu-Ray/DVD version will be available.
Somai made thirteen films during a two-decade career before succumbing to cancer at the age of 53 in 2001. Though little known in the West, he is regarded as one of the most significant Japanese auteurs of his generation, having influenced such directors as Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Hirokazu Kore-eda, Takeshi Kitano. Nicholas Ray, and Jean Vigo. His 1998 film, Wait and See, won a prize at the 1999 Berlin International Film Festival.
A retrospective of Shimai’s films was screened at New York’s Japan Society in the spring of 2023.
The program notes for the event included these words: “He forged a unique identity characterized by his demanding work ethic and innovative use of long takes, working predominantly within the seishun eiga (youth film) genre. Somai’s oeuvre encompasses an eclectic mix of generic and stylistic conventions from Kadokawa pop idol vehicles to Nikkatsu’s Roman Porno to independent art dramas, frequently using bodies of water—including torrential downpours and typhoons—to parallel the turbulence of youth and externalize the impact of growing up in an increasingly chaotic world.”
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