ONLINE EVENT - The Japan Society Film Club: Sonatine directed by Takeshi Kitano
Date
Wednesday 3 September 2025
Time
6.30pm (BST)
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Booking Details
Online meeting on Zoom
Please register for the meeting in advance from the link below. After registering, you will receive an automated confirmation email with meeting access details (please check your spam folder if you don't receive any emails).
Free for members of The Japan Society
Please remember to watch the film in advance.
Sonatine is available to watch on BFI Player and on Apple TV
Please help us to keep this event free and open to all!The Japan Society is a charity and its activities are made possible thanks to the support of its members. If you are planning to attend this event and are not a member (as an individual or through your employer), please consider becoming a member or making a donation if you can - the recommended donation is £5. Thank you!   |
Join us for our film club in September when we will discuss Takeshi Kitano's critically acclaimed yakuza film, Sonatine.
Sonatine (ソナチネ, 1993) contrasts existential detachment with bursts of brutality, blending dark humour and silence with sudden action. The story follows Murakawa (‘Beat’ Takeshi), a weary Tokyo yakuza sent to Okinawa to mediate a gang conflict. As violence escalates, he and his men retreat to a remote beach house, where moments of childlike play offer a surreal respite. Yet the sense of impending doom persists, leading to an inevitable and deadly confrontation. Premiering in Cannes’ Un Certain Regard section in 1993, the film received international acclaim for its unconventional tone and minimalist aesthetic.
Takeshi Kitano (1947-), also known as Beat Takeshi, is a Japanese comedian, television presenter, actor, filmmaker, and author. He started his career as stand-up manzai comedian becoming popular in the 1980s as part of a duo called “Two Beats” and in TV programs such as Takeshi’s Castle. After a few acting roles, including Nagisa Oshima's Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence, he directed his first film Violent Cop in 1989. Following the domestic success of his third film A Scene at the Sea (1991), Kitano gained international recognition with Sonatine (1993) presented at the Cannes Film Festival and won the Golden Lion award at Venice Film Festival in 1997 for Hana-bi. Since then, Kitano has continued directing films such as Kikujiro (1999), Dolls (2002), Zatoichi (2003) and Outrage (2010) as well as working as an actor and TV comedian and personality.