December (赦し, Yurushi) is a 2022 Japanese legal drama film directed by Anshul Chauhan that stars Shogen, Megumi, and Ryō Matsuura.[1] The film follows the subject of juvenile offenders[2] and a girl who gets a retrial after being sentenced to life in prison for a murder she committed at the age of seventeen.[3]
| December | |
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_poster.jpg) Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Anshul Chauhan |
| Screenplay by |
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| Story by | Anshul Chauhan |
| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Peter Moen Jensen |
| Edited by | Anshul Chauhan |
| Music by | Yuma Koda |
Production companies |
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Release date |
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Running time | 99 minutes |
| Country | Japan |
| Language | Japanese |
Cast
- Shogen as Emi's father and Sumiko's ex-husband, Katsu[4]
- Megumi as Emi's mother and Katsu's ex-wife, Sumiko
- Ryō Matsuura as Kana Fukuda
- Shingo Fujimori
- Takashi Kawaguchi
- Tôru Kizu as Takumi Sato, Kana's lawyer
- Kanon Narumi as Emi Higuchi
- Takuzo Shimizu
- Miki Maya
Production
December began production in Tokyo and was shot in Japan's Kanagawa and Ibaraki prefectures.[5]
Release
December was nominated for the Grand Prix Award for Best Film at the Osaka Asian Film Festival[6][7] and the Kim Jiseok Award at the 27th Busan International Film Festival.[4]
SC Films International helped to distribute the film internationally.[2]
Reception
Panos Kotzathanasis of Asian Movie Pulse praised the film stating that, "December is an excellent film that works on a number of levels and [is] definitely Chauhan's best as of yet." Simon Crowe, an executive producer of December, stated that, “After a wave of Scandinavia programming, and now most recently Korean films and television with Parasite, Snowpiercer, Train To Busan and record-breaking series Squid Game, we believe Japanese programming could be the next big thing. Not just anime, but film and television after Drive My Car, Gensan Punch, and now December.”[8]
Roxy Simons of View of the Arts rated the film a 4 out of 5 and stated that, "December is a human drama, and so much of the emotional strife that viewers feel is a result of the pain depicted by the film’s main trio."[9]
Emma Steen of Time Out Tokyo stated that, "As for the production itself, Chauhan's latest cinematic work is a courtroom drama that is not only exquisitely filmed – courtesy of Peter Jensen’s cinematography – but also captivates the audience as it grapples with the fine line between justice and revenge."[10]
Richard Gray of The Reel Bits rated the film a 4 out of 5, stating that, "Anshul Chauhan delivers another understated character study, which works in part due to the stellar performances and a measured understanding of the tensions that lay just beneath the surface of human interaction."[11]
