EXCLUSIVE: Oscilloscope Laboratories has acquired North American rights to Japanese director Kôji Fukada’s drama Love Life.
The film world premiered in Competition in Venice last year (you can check out the Deadline reveal of a first clip here) and went on to play at multiple festivals including Toronto and London.
The acquisition announcement followed hot on the heels of news that the film had been selected for the Museum of The Moving Images (MoMI) First Look Festival, running in New York from March 15 to 19.
Oscilloscope will release the film this year.
The film stars Fumino Kimura as Taeko, a woman living a peaceful life with her husband (Kento Nagayama) and young son.
A tragic accident brings Taeko’s ex-husband, who is the father of her son, back into her life. He is deaf, down on his luck and homeless. To deal with her own pain and guilt, she throws herself into helping him out, causing friction in her other relationships.
“There are moments when people suddenly feel alone, even when they are with their dear family and friends. I tried to capture that sensation in this film–how loneliness can seep into people’s lives while they are living with others,” said Fukada.
“I grew up watching and being influenced by a lot of American movies. I am very happy to be able to release my film in American theaters.”
O-Scope’s Acquisitions Manager, Aaron Katz, said, “We have been fans of Kôji Fukada’s films for a long time and are excited to get a chance to work with him on the release of this heartfelt drama. He creates complex characters through emotional plot turns while simultaneously making grounded choices that allow his worlds to unfold in relatable ways. He’s a modern master and we are thrilled to share this film with audiences.”
Yasuhiko Hattori, Masa Sawada, and Yuko Kameda produced Love Life. International sales are handled by mk2 films. The deal was negotiated with Quentin Bohanna for mk2 Films.
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