Tony Takitani

Japan, 2004. Director Jun Ichikawa. 105min.

Jun Ichikawa’s adaptation of a short story by Haruki Murakami is an exquisitely stylish and poignant meditation on emotional attachment and loss. Set against the background of postwar and modern-day Japan, the plot follows the life of Tony Takitani and the young woman, Eiko, he marries. Eiko’s obsession with designer clothes and accessories is so powerful that it ends up consuming her and even threatens to outlive her. Yet her preoccupation is never treated as evidence of moral decline or superficiality; rather, it is an opportunity to probe complex human emotions such as pleasure and fulfilment, intimacy, isolation, longing, and letting go.

With Issei Ogata, Rie Miyazawa and Shinohara Takahumi.
Art Direction by Yoshikazu Ichida.

Past screenings

Wearing Time: Returns, Recalls, Renewals – Miami
Saturday 30 January 2016, 13:30 | Bal Harbour Shops
With introduction by Kate Sinclair.

Wearing Time: Past, Present, Future, Dream – London
Monday 13 March 2017, 18:30 | The Hoxton, Holborn
With introduction by fashion historian and theorist Alessandra Vaccari.