A Touch of Fever
| Hatachi no binetsu | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Ryosuke Hashiguchi |
| Produced by | Akira Ishigaki |
| Written by | Ryosuke Hashiguchi |
| Starring |
Yoshihiko Hakamada Reiko Kataoka Masashi Endō Sumiyo Yamada |
| Music by |
Akira Isono Ryuji Murayama Kôhei Shinozaki |
| Cinematography | Junichi Tozawa |
| Edited by | Hiroshi Matsuo |
Release date |
23 June 1993 (France) 4 September 1993 (Japan) |
Running time | 114 minutes |
| Country | Japan |
| Language | Japanese |
Hatachi No Binetsu (二十才の微熱, A Touch of Fever, The Slight Fever of a Twenty Year Old) is a Japanese film directed by Ryosuke Hashiguchi, starring Yoshihiko Hakamada and Masashi Endo, released in 1993.
It was shot on 16 millimeter film with a small budget and no payment for the actors or the director.[1] It was awarded a PFF Scholarship (which supports the production of one film for theatrical release each year).[2] It was then screened in Berlin Film Festival.[3]
Plot outline
Yoshihiko and Masashi play Tatsuru and Shinichiro, respectively, both young male hustlers in Japan. The older one, Tatsuru, disconnects himself from his emotions in order to perform his job. The younger Shinichiro, meanwhile, grows uncomfortable with the work once he has fallen in love with Tatsuru. After Shinichiro gets thrown out of his parents' house, he stays at Tatsuru's apartment, and their once casual relationship awkwardly develops into something else.
Cast
- Yoshihiko Hakamada as Tatsuru Shimamori
- Reiko Kataoka as Yoriko Suzuki
- Masashi Endô as Shinichirô Miyajima
- Sumiyo Yamada as Atsumi
- Kôji Satô as Master
- Bunmei Harada as Kawakubo
- Kôta Kusano as Takashi
- Yôichi Kawaguchi as Ohta
- Hiroshi Ohkôchi as Customer
- Tarô Ishida as Yoriko's Father
- Wakaba Irie as Yoriko's Mother
Critical response
A Touch of Fever earned a 67% audience approval rating at online movie critic site Rotten Tomatoes, based on 365 reviews.[4]
Reaction in Japan
Hatachi No Binetsu was a commercial success, surprising given its subject matter. It was nothing less than a breakthrough for real life gay-oriented films in Japan, as well as Okoge (1992) and Kira kira Hikaru (also known as Twinkle) in 1992.[3][5] The film also introduced the word 'gay' into Japanese society.[1]
References
- 1 2 Mes, Tom (23 May 2002). "Ryosuke Hashiguchi". midnighteye.com. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
- ↑ Jasper Sharp Historical Dictionary of Japanese Cinema, p. 199, at Google Books
- 1 2 David A. Gerstner (Editor) Routledge International Encyclopedia of Queer Culture, p. 261, at Google Books
- ↑ "SLIGHT FEVER OF A 20 YEAR OLD (A TOUCH OF FEVER) (1993)". rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
- ↑ Mark J. McLelland Male Homosexuality in Modern Japan: Cultural Myths and Social Realities, p. 29, at Google Books
External links