When a promising young boxer is crippled in a car accident, he falls into a life of dissipation and depression. No boxing ring or martial arts club will take him on -- that is, until an aiki jujitsu master helps the young man develop techniques uniquely tailored to a wheelchair. What starts off as a sad film revs up into an exciting and fun series of epiphanies in which the young man realizes his situation isn't as hopeless as it seems.
Acting
Haruhiko Kato's physical transformation is quietly devastating.
Direction
Tengan refuses easy sentimentality at every turn.
Practical Effects
Real wheelchair martial arts, no CGI shortcuts.
Director
Daisuke Tengan
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Director Daisuke Tengan is the son of legendary filmmaker Shohei Imamura, and this was his feature debut after years as a screenwriter.
The film adapts a real-life martial art developed by a paraplegic practitioner, making it one of the few accurate cinematic depictions of adaptive combat sports.
JP
