While the jury at last year's Tokyo International Film Festival made some unimpeachable selections, it was left to viewers to supply the biggest surprise of the event. "Another World" was an unexpected choice for the Audience Award, which typically goes to more comedic fare in the vein of 2017 winner "Tremble All You Want."
Although it has moments of humor and a sincere humanist message at its core, writer and director Junji Sakamoto's drama isn't exactly a conventional crowd-pleaser, unless you're the kind of person who gets warm and fuzzy at funerals.
Set in rural Mie Prefecture, it revolves around a trio of childhood friends who are now stumbling into middle age. Koh (Goro Inagaki) has taken over his father's charcoal-making business, more out of stubbornness than any passion for the job, while Mitsuhiko (Kiyohiko Shibukawa) has inherited his dad's used car dealership.