Showing at the New York Asian Film Festival Daishi Matsunaga’s Egoist is one of the most beautiful but heartbreaking films I’ve seen in a very long time.
Based on the autobiographical novel of the same name by Takayama Makoto, the film stars Ryohei Suzuki (who was given the award recognizing emerging talent from East Asia on July 15) as Kosuke Saito, a wealthy editor of a fashion magazine who falls in love with his personal trainer Ryuta Nakamura who was brilliantly played by Hio Miyazawa, who works several jobs, including one as a sex worker, to support his ailing mother (Agawa Sawako).
Nearly ten years older than Nakamura, Saito falls head-over-heels for him and offers him ¥100,000 a month to be his exclusive client. It’s a moment very reminiscent of the 1990 Julia Roberts classic Pretty Woman. Nakamura agrees and for a time the couple is overwhelmingly happy.
But then, tragedy strikes.
***SPOILERS AHEAD***
Nakamura dies, leaving his mother without her primary caregiver and Saito blaming himself for not doing more to make his life less stressful.
Saito then takes it upon himself to care for Nakamura’s mother, which brings up the past trauma of him losing his own mother. There’s a beautiful scene between Saito and Nakamura’s mother, where she tells him that she knows he was her son’s special person. He continues to care for her and is with her when she passes.
It’s a tear-jerker for sure, but so beautiful. Egoist has been picked up for US distribution and should be available soon.
Life In Cartoon Motion 