His Lost Name

『夜明け』

A small-town carpenter named Tetsuro (Kaoru Kobayashi) finds an unconscious young man (Yuya Yagira) on a riverbank who eventually says his name is Shinichi. The middle-aged widower sympathetically takes Shinichi in, offering a room in his home and apprenticeship in his woodshop. Before long, the pair soon develop a father-son dynamic—forcing Tetsuro’s other carpenters and patient fiancée (Keiko Horiuchi) to adjust to the strange new situation—though long-held secrets threaten to undo everything. A protégé of Hirokazu Kore-eda and Miwa Nishikawa, director Nanako Hirose masterfully reveals the fictions that keep us together—and the lies that tear us apart—in this sensitive debut drama.

Followed by a post-screening discussion and Q&A with director Hirose.

Dir. Nanako Hirose, 2019, 113 min., DCP, color, in Japanese with English subtitles. With Yuya Yagira, Kaoru Kobayashi, Keiko Horiuchi, Young Dais.

Part of the ACA Cinema Project, The Female Gaze: Women Filmmakers from JAPAN CUTS and Beyond
November 11—20, 2022

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Image: © 2019 “His Lost Name” Production Committee

ACA Cinema Project, The Female Gaze: Women Filmmakers from JAPAN CUTS and Beyond is Co-presented by the Agency for Cultural Affairs, Government of Japan.

Lead Sponsor

Japan Society programs are made possible by leadership support from Booth Ferris Foundation and Shiseido Americas. Film programs are generously supported by ORIX Corporation USA, public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, and endowment support from the Lila Wallace-Reader’s Digest Endowment Fund. Additional season support is provided by The Globus Family, David Toberisky, Akiko Koide and Shohei Koide, Geoff and Fumi Matters, Laurel Gonsalves, and David S. Howe. Transportation assistance is provided by Japan Airlines, the exclusive Japanese airline sponsor of Japan Society Film.