Promised Land

[Machine Translation] This is a story of two young men who try to break through something in themselves by shooting a bear in the mountains where the reverence and symbiosis with nature that humans have willingly lost survives. In the midst of the magnificent wilderness, they unleash their "true sense of living". Based on Kazuichi Iijima's "Promist Land," which won the 40th Shosetsu Gendai New Writer Award. Starring Rairin Sugita and Kanichiro Sugita, who are both young talented actors, the film is a powerful tag team. The mature veteran actors include Masaki Miura, Fusako Urabe, Kiyohiko Shibukawa, and Kaoru Kobayashi. The director is Masashi Iijima, who carries on the hard lineage of the Japanese film industry. This film marks his feature film debut, following his documentary "MATAGI" ( 23 ), which closely follows the matagi people of the Shonai region of Yamagata Prefecture, where this film is set. This is the second project ( YOIHI PROJECT ) by Mitsuo Harada, one of Japan's leading film art directors. --A town in the mountains in springtime in Tohoku, where the tradition of matagi has been passed down from generation to generation. Nobuyuki (Rairin Sugita), a 20-year-old high school graduate helping his parents with their work, is fed up with the closed-off lifestyle of the area, but he just goes about his daily life as he goes along. One day, at a meeting of matagi hunters, Shimoyama ( Kaoru Kobayashi ), the leader of the bear hunt, tells them something unexpected. It seems that this year's application has not been approved," he says. The government has issued a notice prohibiting bear hunting this year due to a decrease in the number of bears. If they violate the law, they will be considered poachers and their way of life as matagi will be closed. While everyone accepts the decision with disappointment, only Reijiro (Kanichiro), Nobuyuki's older brother, stubbornly refuses. Later, Nobuyuki is summoned by Reijiro, who tells him of a secret plan for the two of them to go bear hunting together...

Special Feature / Bonus Track: making-of & interview (18 min.), documentary movie "MATAGI" (2023 / 76 min.)

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人間が進んで失ってきた自然への畏敬と共生が生き残るマタギの山で熊を撃つことで己の中の"何か"を打ち破ろうとする、ふたりの若者の物語。壮麗な大自然の中<本気で生きる感覚>を解き放つ。 原作は第40回小説現代新人賞を受賞した飯嶋和一「プロミスト・ランド」。主演には若き実力派、杉田雷麟と寛一郎の強力なタッグが実現。三浦誠己、占部房子、渋川清彦、小林薫ら円熟のベテラン俳優陣が勢揃いした。監督は日本映画界の硬派な血筋を継承する飯島将史。本作の舞台となる山形県庄内地方のマタギ衆に密着したドキュメンタリー『MATAGI-マタギ-』(23)に続く本作で劇映画デビューを飾る。日本を代表する映画美術監督・原田満生がたちあげたプロジェクト〈YOIHI PROJECT〉の第2弾! ――春の東北、マタギの伝統を受け継ぐ山間の町。高校を出て親の仕事を手伝う20歳の信行 (杉田雷麟) は、この土地の閉鎖的な暮らしに嫌気が差しながらも、流されるままに日々を送っていた。そんなある日、マタギ衆の寄り合いで、熊狩りを指揮する親方の下山 (小林薫) が一同に意外な言葉を告げる。「今年はどうも申請が通らねえみたいだ」。熊が減っていることを理由に、役所から今年の熊狩りを禁止する通達が来たというのだ。違反すれば密猟とみなされ、マタギとして生きる道を閉ざされてしまう。皆が落胆しながらも決定を受け入れるなか、ただひとり、信行の兄貴分の礼二郎 (寛一郎) だけは、頑なに拒み続ける。後日、礼二郎から呼び出された信行は、ふたりだけで熊狩りに挑む秘密の計画を打ち明けられ・・・。

特典映像約96分: ドキュメンタリー映画 『MATAGI-マタギ-』(2023・76分)、本作メイキング&監督インタビュー (18分)、予告編集