“Ryuichi Sakamoto | Opus”: a documentary beyond exquisite

The iconic Japanese composer, pianist, and actor Ryuichi Sakamoto comes to vivid life in an exquisite documentary “Ryuichi Sakamoto | Opus.” Directed by Sakamoto’s son, Neo Sora, Ryuichi plays twenty of his compositions, including the title “Opus” plus “Lack of Love,” “Solitude,” “The Sheltering Sky,” and a new arrangement of “Tong Poo.” That’s it: minimalist and extraordinary.

Before his death from cancer in March 2023 at the age of 71, Sakamoto agreed to play a concert selection of his compositions. The result is an hour forty minute immersion in a virtuoso presentation of heavenly music. Born in Tokyo in 1952, beginning composing at age ten, he credits diverse influences, including John Coltrane, Ornette Coleman, The Beatles, and The Rolling Stones, incorporating and channeling their styles into his unique creations. Along with others, he formed the innovative Yellow Magic Orchestra in 1978 and first enhanced films with his score for director Nagisa Ōshima’s1982 “Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence,” followed by director Bernardo Bertolucci’s “The Last Emperor,” for which he won the 1988 Academy Award for Best Original Score and in which he also acted. Over the years, he scored for additional Bertolucci films, for Pedro Almodóvar, Brian de Palma, Alejandro Gonzalez Iñárritu, and others, confirming his imaginative range. His last, complex work interpreted director Hirokazu Kore-eda’s  2023 “Monster.” In his career, Sakamoto earned numerous awards, notably BAFTAs, Golden Globes, and Grammys.  

For this film, cinematographer Bill Kirstein captures Sakamoto’s black attire, his white hair, and black glasses at the Yamaha grand piano through beautiful black-and-white photography. As Sakamoto explains in press notes, “The camera positions and the lighting changed significantly with each song,” the twenty together expressing “the progression of time from morning into night.” Kirstein’s camera often features Sakamoto’s delicate fingers caressing the keys, then it slides smoothly across the piano or slowly inches in for a close-up. Equally flawless, Takuya Kawakami’s editing harmonizes with the music, never interrupting the elegant flow.

Sakamoto left an extraordinary, remarkably diverse musical legacy incorporating but also transforming electronic and cyberpunk, melodic and hip hop, classical and jazz music. This elegant, haunting tribute is a unique documentary unlike and superior to musical homages I’ve seen. It transported me to a world of beauty and grace. In Japanese with English subtitles, “Ryuichi Sakamoto” screens at Webster University’s Winifred Moore auditorium Friday, April 26, through Sunday, April 28, at 7:30 each of those evenings. For more information, you may visit the film series website.