House of Himiko

House of Himiko

Japanese Title: Mezon do Himiko (Maison de Himiko)
Release Year in Japan: 2005

Director: Isshin Inudo
Casts: Joe Odagiri (Haruhiko), Kou Shibasaki (Saori), Min Tanaka (Himiko)

Poetic story of a gay man, his ailing lover and his lover's daughter, surrounding their lives with love, hate, destiny, try and error, joy and sorrow, forgiveness and acceptance, staged in a senior home for gay men by a scenic beach. Dealing with heavy themes, the film appears rather calm, sexy, warm and sad and sometimes light-hearted, helped by superb acting of the charactors, as well as the beautiful sceneries and music. Joe Odagiri is perfectly sexy and beautiful, Kou Shibasaki is charmingly grumpy, and Min Tanaka is impressive. Sophysticated scripts makes you shrugg off the otherwise harsh reality, and leaves a slightly sweet after-taste of hope at the end.

Isshin Inudo won the Best Director Award in Nikkan Sports Award in 2005.