Athlete (2019 film)

Athlete
Japanese theatrical release poster
Directed by	Takamasa Oe[1]
Written by	Yasutoshi Murakawa
Produced by	Tomoko Yoshioka
Starring	Joe Nakamura Yohdi Kondo Yoshiaki Umegaki Reina Tasaki Fumihiko Nakamura Rai Minamoto
Cinematography	Daisuke Miura
Music by	Yasuhira Shigemori
Release dates	July 15, 2019 (2019-07-15) (Rainbow Reel Tokyo)[1] July 26, 2019 (2019-07-26) (Japan)[2]
Running time	89 minutes[1]
Country	Japan[1]
Language	Japanese[1]

Athlete (アスリート 〜俺が彼に溺れた日々〜, Asurīto: Ore ga Kare ni Oboreta Hibi) lit. 'Athlete ~The days I drowned by him~' is a 2019 Japanese drama film directed by Takamasa Oe.^[3][1] It made its world premiere in the 28th Rainbow Reel Tokyo festival on July 15, 2019.^[1] The film stars Joe Nakamura and Yohdi Kondo.^[4][5]

Cast

• Joe Nakamura as Kohei Kaido
• Yohdi Kondo as Yutaka "Yuta" Imaizumi
• Yoshiaki Umegaki as Priscilla
• Reina Tasaki as Mizuna Kaido
• Fumihiko Nakamura as Atsushi
• Rai Minamoto as Mimosa
• Flora Miwa as Rinka

Release

The film was played at festivals including the 2019 Rainbow Reel Tokyo and Taoyuan Film Festivals^[6] and had a small general release in Japan, beginning on July 26 at UPLINK Kichijoji in Kichijoji, Tokyo and expanding on August 3 to cinemas in Osaka, Nagoya and Himeji.^[2]

In June 2020, it became available internationally with subtitles in English, Chinese, Thai and Indonesian for subscribers to the Taiwan-based streaming service provider Gagaoolala.^[7]

Reception

The film received mixed reviews from 18 critics of Yahoo! Japan, which gave the film an average of 3.56 stars.^[8] Asian Movie Pulse highlighted the taboo of LGBT rights in Japan and highlighted the film in those aspects, though said that "while you can enjoy a movie that opens many colours of the rainbow and waves more than one flag, your enthusiasm might hit several walls" adding that "Unfortunately, the relationship and its hardships are the least interesting line in the narrative" and concluded that the film is "perplexing."^[9]

References

1. "Athlete | The 28th Rainbow Reel Tokyo ~Tokyo International Lesbian & Gay Film Festival~". Rainbow Reel Tokyo. 20 May 2019. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
2. "THEATER | athlete-movie" (in Japanese). Eiga "Asurīto: Ore ga Kare ni Oboreta Hibi" Seisaku Iinkai. Retrieved July 19, 2020.
3. "ジョーナカムラとこんどうようぢ共演、LGBT題材にした「アスリート」プレミア上映". Eiga Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha. December 13, 2018. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
4. "『アスリート ～俺が彼に溺れた日々～』 ジョーナカムラさん＆こんどうようぢさん【インタビュー】". Eiga Log Plus (in Japanese). July 23, 2019. Archived from the original on January 24, 2020. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
5. "映画『アスリート～俺が彼に溺れた日々～』初日舞台挨拶レポ―トinアップリンク吉祥寺". Eiga Log Plus (in Japanese). July 27, 2019. Archived from the original on January 24, 2020. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
6. "Athlete – Features". Gagaoolala. Retrieved July 19, 2020.
7. "Athlete Brings Gay Sex to Mainstream Cinema in Japan". GagaTai. Portico Media. June 12, 2020. Retrieved July 19, 2020.
8. "アスリート ～俺が彼に溺れた日々～" [Athletes: The days I drowned in him]. Yahoo! Japan (in Japanese). 2019. Retrieved 31 October 2021.
9. "Film Review: Athlete (2019) by Takamasa Oe". Asian Movie Pulse. 2019. Retrieved 31 October 2021.

External links

• Official website (in Japanese)
• Athlete on Instagram
• Athlete at IMDb