Lost in Tokyo

A story about regret and friendship, a lost future and a past that still too alive. Three friends: Takkun (Takuya Fukushima), a singer with a far-from-successful band, Takachan (Takahiro Iwasaki), who has an office job, and Eiji (Eiji Kamikura), who will soon be a lawyer. It has been about 10 years since they finished studying and the time when they were all together in a band. The film briefly shows the three of them together, but we soon go on to the moment when Eiji suddenly turns out to be dead and Takkun and Takachan have been to his funeral. In their smart funeral clothes, they embark on an alcohol-drenched journey around Tokyo in order to avoid thinking about the loss or about the future. Takachan's girlfriend Nao (Nao Saito) tracks the two friends for a long time, but is upset to find that the men are only interested in their own nostalgia and melancholy.
The film is the work of a talented and committed loner. Directing, camera, screenplay, production and editing were all done by Ikawa Kotaro himself. His greatest source of inspiration was John Cassavetes. Ikawa himself mentions Husbands, but Variety critic Robert Koehler also points out similarities in mood with Shadows, the debut by Cassavetes. You can be compared with worst films and makers. It is obvious that Ikawa has made a very attractive and admirable debut. (GjZ)