Shiki-Jitsu [Ritual] (2001) Hideaki Anno w/Shunji Iwai
4385DVD
Original Japanese
title SHIKI-JISU [Day of a Ceremony]
director:
Hideaki Anno
starring: Shunji Iwai
· Ayako
Fujitani
· Jun
Murakami
· Shinobu
Ohtake
In
2004, animation-director-turned-live-action-director Hideaki Anno
surprised everybody - critics and audiences alike - by delivering the
cult hit CUTIE
HONEY. It became the instant standard for camp superhero action|fantasy.
Hideaki, born May 1960 in Ube Japan, began as an apprentice to mentor
Hayao Miyazaki in the '80s and early '90s before striking off on his own.
He found success with the animated/action television series Neon
Genesis Evangelion (1995-99) but became irked by fan criticism
over the series conclusion. He made the decision to leave anime and turn
his talents to live action, thus came this film and the aforementioned
CUTIE HONEY. A bit later, he was also the director for Toho's major re-boot
SHIN
GODZILLA [Godzilla Resurgence] in 2015.
Shiki-jitsu
[RITUAL International title], was a rather cathartic venture, marking
Hideaki Anno's transition from one style of filmmaking into another. And
it's very impressive. A burnt-out filmmaker (played by award-winning director
Shunji Iwai of SWALLOWTAIL
BUTTERFLY fame) encounters a young woman who seems despondent,
suicidal and far removed from reality. Knowing nothing about her, the
filmmaker tries to establish communicate through his camera. As the two
grow closer, disaster looms. Some people, it seems, are better left alone.
Japanese
film with optional ON/OFF English subtitles; widescreen format (16:9),
uncut (128 min.), encoded for ALL REGIONS, playable on any American
DVD machine;
original trailer as an extra.
·
Violence/Adult
Material: Viewer discretion is advised.