Karakara (film)

Karakara is a Canadian drama film, directed by Claude Gagnon and released in 2012.[1] The film stars Gabriel Arcand as Pierre, a professor from Quebec who is on sabbatical in Okinawa to reevaluate his life after the death of his friend, and is drawn into a love affair with Junko (Youki Kudoh), a local woman fleeing an abusive husband who offers to be his tour guide.[2]

Karakara
Film poster
Directed byClaude Gagnon
Produced byClaude Gagnon
Samuel Gagnon
Takako Miyahira
Written byClaude Gagnon
StarringGabriel Arcand
Youki Kudoh
Music byYukito Ara
CinematographyMichel St-Martin
Edited byClaude Gagnon
Production
company
Kukuru Vision
Zuno Films
Distributed byMongrel Media
Release date
  • August 31, 2012 (2012-08-31) (MWFF)
Running time
101 minutes
CountryCanada
LanguageEnglish
French
Japanese

The film's screenplay was partially inspired by Gagnon's own trip to Japan following the death of one of his closest friends.[3] The film was shot in 2011,[4] and premiered at the 2012 Montreal World Film Festival.[5]

Critical response

Writing for Variety, Ronnie Scheib noted that the film reversed "the usual Westerner-in-the-Orient stereotype, where the ambitious hero learns to slow down and smell the roses. Here he’s dragged, kicking and screaming, out of the rose garden and into the world at large."[6]

For the Montreal Gazette, Brendan Kelly praised both Arcand's and Kudoh's performances, but wrote that he had difficulty believing in the core relationship between the characters. He ultimately concluded that "maybe it's uneven but it still remains a film that stays with you long after the final credits roll."[2]

Awards

At the MWFF, the film won the festival's Most Popular Canadian Film and Openness to the World awards.[7] The film received two Prix Jutra nominations at the 15th Jutra Awards in 2013, for Best Actor (Arcand) and Best Screenplay (Gagnon).[8]

References
  1. Charles-Henri Ramond, "Karakara – Film de Claude Gagnon". Films du Québec, August 1, 2012.
  2. Brendan Kelly, "An unusual love story, by an unusual director". Montreal Gazette, August 31, 2012.
  3. Brendan Kelly, "Claude Gagnon keeps his friends close; The Quebec director is as steadfast in his support of Serge Losique's festival as he is in his support of the Habs". Montreal Gazette, August 27, 2012.
  4. "Le realisateur Claude Gagnon conclut le tournage de son nouveau long metrage: Claude Gagnon conclut le tournage de Karakara". Canadian Press, December 7, 2011.
  5. "Le film «Karakara», de Claude Gagnon, sera en competition au FFM". Canadian Press, August 7, 2012.
  6. Ronnie Scheib, "Karakara". Variety, September 3, 2012.
  7. "Le film turc «Où brûle le feu» remporte les grands honneurs du FFM". Canadian Press, September 3, 2012.
  8. Jean-Philippe Angers, "«Laurence Anyways» et «Rebelle» dominent la course en vue des Jutra". Canadian Press, January 31, 2013.
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