The Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011 and its aftermath have been the focus of many films, both fiction and nonfiction. However, most of them have been by filmmakers who¡¯ve come from outside Fukushima Prefecture, where the disaster hit hardest.
Ryuichi Hiroki, a native of Koriyama, Fukushima, rewrote his 2011 film ¡°River¡± to reflect the catastrophic effects of the quake, but he hasn¡¯t finished with the subject, as his new film ¡°Side Job.¡± makes clear. Based on his own novel, the film is full of characters and incidents taken from years of research but doesn¡¯t turn into a docudrama or a weepy ¡°social issue¡± production, with its pure-hearted heroes and obvious message. Instead, ¡°Side Job.¡± provides a narrative that stays true to the complex and not-always-edifying reality of life in the disaster zone. And that makes it the best film I¡¯ve seen on the topic ¡ª and I¡¯ve seen dozens.
A prolific creator of mainstream romantic dramas, Hiroki has long had a side job of his own directing indie films, including his 2015 ensemble drama ¡°Kabukicho Love Hotel.¡± ¡°Side Job.¡± belongs to the indie category but is still a departure from his usual fare.
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