Kobayashi is occasionally referred to as ‘the most French of all Japanese film makers’ and that is certainly reflected in his debut film Closing Time. It is quite obvious that Kobayashi is above all a fan of the work of Truffaut – both in style and themes. He certainly doesn’t hide his predilection: Closing Time even starts with a declaration of love for the films of Truffaut. A down-and-out scriptwriter spends his days and nights in the bars of Tokyo. When he is thrown out of a joint because it is closing time, there is always a willing lady to spend the rest of the night with. In the street he has countless semi-philosophical discussions with fellow drinkers, male and female, (shot in black-and-white, as prologue to the different chapters) but in the end it often comes down to one thing: the bottle of whisky that has to be finished. An encounter with a homeless young man with AIDS marks a turning point in the life of the writer. Closing Time won the Grand Jury Prize at the Yubari International Fantastic Film Festival in Japan and marked the starting point of Kobayashi’s career as a director.
