Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on November 2012

Korean-Japanese director and assistant director Masaharu Take has been involved in some excellent work in the past (particularly Pacchigi!; 2005). He has been active in pushing forward the zainichi nipponjin (Korean-Japanese) identity in the field (the cited flick is also an example of that). It is no surprise then that this talented filmmaker would push the boundaries of mainstream film in Japan to include other disenfranchised members of society.

His latest work, Eden, which premiered at the Busan International Film Fest this year, is based around a gay club called Eden that features a cabaret show of transvestite and transgender people. The Madame (Taro Yamamoto) runs the place like a family unit, and often reaches out to the clientele who are each equally ostracized by society. When the transgendered Noripi dies suddenly of heart failure, her family refuses to accept the remains and give her an honorable burial. It’s up to the motley crew from Eden to reconcile the situation.

Touching if at times a bit stereotypical, Eden is an important work for Japanese cinema. It was only in the early ’90s that out gay people were portrayed in mainstream Japanese film for the first time in the work Rasen no Sobyo, so this film helps raise public awareness of the issue significantly more. (101 min)