Sasaki In My Mind

Told partly in flashback, the story is easy to follow and easier to get sucked in. Instead of ‘drama’ it’s packed with human emotion and puzzle pieces that click into place. There’s a gorgeous shift in attitude that happens under the surface but rises in the denouement. Winner of the Kaneto Shindo Silver Award in 2020, and nominee for a number of other film festivals ..., Sasaki In My Mind is getting some attention and will hopefully receive a wider distribution.

...undoubtedly Gaku Hosokawa’s performance as the titular character steals the show whenever he appears on screen. Similar to the large-than-life persona he plays, it is Sasaki whose antics bring excitement and entertainment to the everyday routine of the young students, a character who seems to be satisfied when he is the center of attention, while also making it obvious, if one looks closer, that behind the class clown-facade something is hidden. ... It is a great performance which highlights both the fascination and the mystery of a man whose real personality is a blend of the class clown and the friend he is trying to be, even though his affection is not always reciprocated.