Close Menu
  • Support Us
  • Newsletter
  • News
  • Features
  • Interviews
  • Reviews
    • Video Games
      • Previews
      • PC
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X/S
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Xbox One
      • PS4
      • Tabletop
    • Film
    • TV
    • Anime
    • Comics
      • BOOM! Studios
      • Dark Horse Comics
      • DC Comics
      • IDW Publishing
      • Image Comics
      • Indie Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • Oni-Lion Forge
      • Valiant Comics
      • Vault Comics
  • Podcast
  • More
    • Event Coverage
    • BWT Recommends
    • RSS Feeds
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
Support Us
But Why Tho?
RSS Facebook X (Twitter) YouTube
Trending:
  • Features
    Warframe

    Biggest ‘Warframe’ Announcements From PAX East 2025

    05/13/2025
    The First Descendant Season 3: Breakthrough keyart

    ‘The First Descendant’ Season 3 Looks Like A Gamechanger

    05/11/2025
    Mafia: The Old Country promotional still

    Everything We Know About ‘Mafia: The Old Country’

    05/08/2025
    Sunderfolk Phone Players

    10 ‘Sunderfolk’ Tips To Help You And Your Party Thrive

    05/02/2025
    Bob in Thunderbolts But Why Tho

    ‘Thunderbolts*’ Visualizes Depression As Only A Superhero Movie Can

    05/02/2025
  • Star Wars
  • K-Dramas
  • Netflix
  • Blood of Zeus
  • PAX East
But Why Tho?
Home » Interviews » TIFF20: Carolyn Talks ‘Under The Open Sky’ With Li Lai

TIFF20: Carolyn Talks ‘Under The Open Sky’ With Li Lai

Carolyn HindsBy Carolyn Hinds10/26/20203 Mins ReadUpdated:08/15/2021
Share
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Reddit WhatsApp Email

Under The Open Sky

I’m back with a new episode of Carolyn Talks… to discuss the film that screened at the Toronto International Film Festival. In this episode I sit with fellow film critic Li Lai, EIC of Mediaversity Reviews, to share our thoughts on one of the best films of the year Under The Open Sky by Miwa Nishikawa.

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here

In this touching and beautiful drama, Nishikawa explores how the strict and contradictory rules of ethics and civility of Japanese society makes it difficult for ex-convicts to reintegrate into and function in society. Koji Yakusho plays Mikami, a former Yakuza who was imprisoned for 13 years for murder. After spending large portions of his life in and out of detention centers and prison, Mikami is determined to make his newfound freedom count, but this proves more difficult as he struggles to learn to adapt that has changed almost all of the rules he was familiar with.

Having been surrendered to an orphanage by his mother as a toddler, Mikami grew up not knowing who he was, and without any connection to a family, but he eventually found one with the Yakuza, and his wife. As a young man and adult in the Yakuza, Mikami was familiar with rules and codes. He knew what was expected of him and others. He understood why and how things were done, and things weren’t any different in prison. While incarcerated he found adapting easy, because survival meant obeying the rules. (For most this strict way of living one’s life may seem almost impossible but on a quick aside, I ask how are these two organizations any different from the military? The thought occurred to me as I was typing this.)

Finally free, Mikami struggles to adapt to a world that seems more heartless, immoral, and exploitive than what he’s always known. He’s told that to be a successful, contributing, and civilized member of society, he has to ignore his impulse to protect those more vulnerable than him. He’s told that keeping his head down is the right thing to do because keeping his job is more important than honoring his own personal code of ethics and morals. The contradictions of people on the outside of prison acting more heartless than those they say are the criminals, proves to be a stumbling block that Mikami constantly runs into.

While he tries to figure out who and what he should be in the present, Mikami tries to find out who he was in the past. Approached by a documentary director and his producer who express interest in making a show about his life, Mikami is wary but tries to use their resources to help him find his mother. Not feeling any resentment towards her, but curiosity and concern, Mikami continues to show that he has more understanding and compassion than many others around him, especially when the producer tries to exploit his past and anger issues for ratings.

Under the Open Sky is filled with scenes awash in soft colors, close-ups of Mikami, juxtaposed with scenes that lack visual or emotional warmth. Yakusho gives a poignant performance filled with beautifully endearing moments, interspersed with sudden bouts of rage that endear sympathy rather than fear from the viewer. Nishikawa shows the two sides of Mikami. One side is the man people see as a hardened criminal and judge with preconceived notions about him and the life of yakuza, and the other a man who finds the beauty in flowers, friendship, and singing lullabies.

For more TIFF20 festival and organization announcements visit, TIFF.net. You can follow Carolyn on Twitter and Instagram @Carriecnh 12.

Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Email
Previous ArticleREVIEW: ‘His House’ is Terrifying in More Ways Than One
Next Article INTERVIEW: St. Jude Play Live with Imperial Grrl
Carolyn Hinds
  • X (Twitter)
  • Instagram

I am a Freelance Film Critic, Journalist and Podcaster - and avid live tweeter. Member of the African American Film Critics Association (AAFCA), my published work can be found on ButWhyThoPodcast, The Beat, Observer, and many other sites. As a critic, I believe my personal experiences and outlook on life, give readers and listeners a different perspective they can appreciate, and help them to see things in a new light. I am the proud host of Beyond The Romance Drama Podcast - a podcast dedicated to discussing Korean and other Asian dramas, the co-host of So Here's What Happened! Podcast (@SHWH_Pod), and the weekly science fiction film and TV live tweet event #SaturdayNightSciFi.

Related Posts

Splitgate 2 Portal

‘Splitgate 2′ Is Scaling Up, According To 1047 Games’ CEO Ian Proulx

05/17/2025
Jackbox Games But Why Tho

Jackbox Games, 11 Party Packs Later

05/15/2025
MTG Final Fantasy Set - keyart made up of several different cards from the set

MTG Developers Shared That The Final Fantasy Set Was a Matter of Authenticity

05/10/2025
Berserk x Diablo in Diablo IV promo art

Diablo Immortal Devs Explain How They Plan To Capture Berserk’s Biggest Moment

05/05/2025
Sunderfolk keyart

‘Sunderfolk’ Is Built For Everyone – From Forever DMs To First-Timers

05/02/2025
Lou Ferrigno Jr. As Tommy in Fox's 9-1-1

‘9-1-1’s’ Lou Ferrigno Jr On Flying Helicopters, Bobby’s Death, And What’s Next For Tommy

04/25/2025
TRENDING POSTS
Cho Bo-ah and Lee Jae-wook in Dear Hongrang
8.0
TV

REVIEW: ‘Dear Hongrang’ Weaves A Tangled Web

By Sarah Musnicky05/16/2025Updated:05/16/2025

With its foundation set in mystery and intrigue, it’s no surprise that Dear Hongrang (Tangeum) is a complicated viewing experience.

Bet (2025)
6.5
Film

REVIEW: ‘Bet’ Is a Bold and Risky Live-Action Adaption

By LaNeysha Campbell05/15/2025Updated:05/17/2025

‘Bet’ (2025) brings the high-stakes world of ‘Kakegurui’ to life (again), an American live-action adaptation of Homura Kawamoto’s manga series.

Murderbot Season 1 keyart from Apple TV Plus
9.0
TV

REVIEW: ‘Murderbot’ Continues Apple TV+’s Sci-Fi Winning Streak

By Kate Sánchez05/12/2025Updated:05/13/2025

Humor, action, and the weirdness of science fiction keep Apple TV+’s Murderbot hitting every single episode.

Marie Bach Hansen in Secrets We Keep
6.5
TV

REVIEW: ‘Secrets We Keep’ Will Give You Whiplash

By Sarah Musnicky05/15/2025

Secrets We Keep is a decent binge-watch. However, it needed to take a beat to let the suspense grow and be savored properly.

But Why Tho?
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Pinterest RSS YouTube Twitch
  • CONTACT US
  • ABOUT US
  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER
  • Review Score Guide
Sometimes we include links to online retail stores. If you click on one and make a purchase we may receive a small contribution.
Written Content is Copyright © 2025 But Why Tho? A Geek Community

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

But Why Tho Logo

Support Us!

We're able to keep making content thanks to readers like YOU!
Support independent media today with
Click Here