Making a film about a terminally ill woman who must decide her own fate is a brave and challenging one for any director. Brave, because in the flashy, fast-moving business of today’s moviedom, such tearjerkers have limited appeal. Challenging because every aspect -- cast, crew, cinematography and let’s not forget story -- must keep the audience in their seats for the requisite 90 odd minutes. It’s quite a feat.
Surprisingly, Nico Santucci’s efforts succeed on multiple levels. Largely experienced through the eyes of Grace Stanton, the tale unfolds between two worlds -- her early life in Japan and an upscale if predictable adulthood in modern day Los Angeles. Criss-crossing between dreamscapes in Japan’s Aokigahara Forest (Suicide Forest) and other locales in Laguna and Newport Beach, director Santucci manages to keep his story on firm ground. It’s worth noting that Sarogeto is the first film ever allowed access to the Aokigahara locale.
The success or failure of such a script can hinge on the lead character and in this case, Ikumi Yoshimatsu as Grace is pure perfection. Whether playing a warm and engaging mother to her young son or evoking a silent and solitary grief, she never misses a beat. Her classic beauty was made for the camera and Santucci obviously gives full range to her features. If anything, his closeups linger a little too long and lovingly on his star. I couldn’t help but think the slow pacing throughout was an attempt to add gravitas to the subject matter.
The film’s title, Sarogeto, means surrogate, one appointed to act in place of another. It’s an apt title, as just when the film is in danger of lagging over Grace’s dilemmas, the irrepressible Miki, played by Ruby Park, arrives to interview as a nanny to the son. At first wide-eyed and a bit gawky, she will be unknowingly groomed as a replacement for Grace herself. Miki is a delightful counterpoint to Grace, slowly evolving into a shadow version in the household. Winsor Harmon. as a dutiful but otherwise engaged husband, fills the shoes of a rather glibly written supporting character. Competing with the likes of the two female co-stars proves a hurdle.
A welcome surprise to many filmgoers will be discovering the rarely seen Eric Roberts as Dr. Langley. Always a magnetic if quirky presence on camera, he gives a sensitive yet searing performance as the doctor who tries to get Grace to face the reality of her situation.
Sarogeto was Winner of Best Feature Film, Best Cinematography, Best Actor, and Best Actress from Cannes World Film Festival 2021. It is a film that raises some hard questions and truths about existence.
In Grace’s words, “How can we complete the journey if we never understand the destination?” Viewers will need to make up their own minds about her path but giving us a heroine caught in the clash between two cultures goes a long way toward our own understanding.
Author Bio:
Sandra Bertrand is Highbrow Magazine’s chief art critic.
For Highbrow Magazine