Toshiaki TOYODA 豊田利晃

Blue Spring

青い春

Nippon Cinema   ª 

Set in a Japanese suburb. Kujo has become leader of a group of students through a dangerous ritual. Kujo is admired by Aoki, with whom he has been friends since early childhood. The bored gang passes the sluggishly flowing time before the final exams with small and bigger vulgarities. While the others have to deal with their future, Kujo increasingly loses orientation and also interest in the group. For the first time on his own, disappointed Aoki triggers a tragedy. TOYODA, who has already made a highly acclaimed film about urban loneliness with PORNOSTAR (NC '00), turns to the suburbs this time. In elegant, atmospheric images, he calmly but mercilessly shows the disintegration of hierarchies and friendships and the violence that results from it.

Related Events:
Blue Spring (NC 2002)

Winner of the Nippon Connection Newcomer Award 2002

青い春
Aoi haru

Japan 2001

83 minutes

Director
Toshiaki TOYODA

Script
Toshiaki TOYODA based on a manga by Taiyo MATSUMOTO

Cinematography
Norimichi KASAMATSU

Music
Kenji UEDA

About Toshiaki TOYODA
豊田利晃

Toshiaki TOYODA was born in Osaka Prefecture in 1969 and was still a child when he began playing professional Shogi. He began his film career as a scriptwriter for Junji SAKAMOTO. His films have regularly been screened internationally ever since he debuted in 1998 with PORNOSTAR (1998 / NC ’00). Works of his screened at Nippon Connection include BLUE SPRING (2002 / NC ’02), THE BLOOD OF REBIRTH (2009 / NC ’10), I'M FLASH (2012 / NC ’13) and THE MIRACLE OF CRYBABY SHOTTAN (2018 / NC ’19).




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