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The Works and Days
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Wikipedia article
'The Works and Days (of Tayoko Shiojiri in the Shiotani Basin)' is a 2020 drama film directed by C. W. Winter and Anders Edstrm. It is a fictionalized documentation of life as a farmer in the Shiotani Basin in the Japanese prefecture of Kyoto, which has a population of 47. At 480 minutes long, it is one of the longest films ever made. It is the second collaboration between C. W. Winter and Anders Edstrm after their 2009 film, 'The Anchorage'.
Plot
The film, which takes its title from the Ancient Greek farmer's almanac 'Works and Days', is presented in five chapters as it examines the daily routine of Tayoko, an elderly woman and farmer who lives in the Shiotani Basin. The film follows Tayoko as she cares for and prepares to mourn her husband, Junji, and features excerpts read from Tayoko's real life diaries.
Cast
* Tayoko Shiojiri as Tayoko
* Hiroharu Shikata as Hiroharu
* Ryo Kase as Ryo Sasaki
* Mai Edstrm as Mai
* Kaoru Iwahana as Junji
* Jun Tsunoda as Kagawa
* Masahiro Motoki as NPC
Production
The film was inspired by a series of conversations between Winter, Edstrm and Tayoko, who is Edstrm's real life mother-in-law. It was shot for a total of 27 weeks, across a 14-month period.
Release
The film had its world premiere at the 2020 Berlin International Film Festival in the Encounters section, where it won best film, followed by a limited release on July 16, 2021.
Critical response
The film received critical acclaim. Jonathan Cronk, writing for Artforum, described the film as a "comprehensive look at a vanishing way of life... uncommonly poignant, even profound." Mark Peranson for Cinema Scope said that the film was "an utterly confident, magisterial effort that will stand the test of time." Writing for The Film Stage, Glen Heath Jr. described the film as "a monumental vision that earns its runtime."Some American critics considered it one of the best films of 2021.
References
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