I Was a Simple Man
| I Was a Simple Man | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Christopher Makoto Yogi |
| Written by | Christopher Makoto Yogi |
| Produced by | Sarah Kim |
| Starring |
|
| Cinematography | Eunsoo Cho |
| Edited by | Christopher Makoto Yogi |
| Music by |
|
Production companies |
|
| Distributed by | Strand Releasing |
Release dates | |
Running time | 100 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Languages |
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| Box office | $12,669[2] |
I Was a Simple Man is an American family drama film written and directed by Christopher Makoto Yogi.[3] The film stars Steve Iwamoto, Constance Wu, Tim Chiou and Kanoa Goo.[1]
The film has its world premiere at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival on January 29, 2021, and received a limited theatrical release in the United States on November 19, 2021, by Strand Releasing.[1]
Premise
[edit]As a family in Hawai'i faces the imminent death of their eldest, the ghosts of the past haunt the countryside.[4]
Cast
[edit]
The cast includes:[5]
- Steve Iwamoto as Masao Matsuyoshi
- Constance Wu as Grace
- Tim Chiou as Adult Masao
- Kanoa Goo as Gavin
- Chanel Akiko Hirai as Kati
- Nelson Lee as Mark
- Hau'oli Carr as Ashley
- Kyle Kosaki as Young Masao
- Boonyanudh Jiyarom as Young Grace
Reception
[edit]The film won the Grand Jury Award at the San Diego Asian Film Festival.[6] It also won the Grand Jury Prize at the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival and the Made in Hawai‘i Award at the Hawai‘i International Film Festival.[7][8]
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 88% of 24 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.00/10. The website's consensus reads: "I Was a Simple Man tells a simple story whose deceptively straightforward approach yields richly melancholic rewards."[9] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 83 out of 100, based on 9 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[10] It was named the fourth best film of 2021 in the New Yorker Magazine, where film critic Richard Brody called it "one of the great films about death."[11] Roxana Hadadi wrote on RogerEbert.com that the film is a "100-minute spell of beauty and melancholy, intimate and grand in equal measure",[12] while David Ehrlich of IndieWire called it "masterful" and dubbed it a "Critics Pick".[13]
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 "Sundance - FPG". Sundance. Archived from the original on February 19, 2021. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
- ↑ "I Was a Simple Man (2021)". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved December 17, 2021.
- ↑ Ramos, Dino-Ray (January 29, 2021). "Filmmaker Christopher Makoto Yogi Visits Ghosts Of Memories Past In Familial Drama 'I Was A Simple Man' – Sundance Studio". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
- ↑ Debruge, Peter (December 15, 2020). "Sundance Film Festival Lineup Features 38 First-Time Directors, Including Rebecca Hall and Robin Wright". Variety. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
- ↑ "Film and TV Projects Going Into Production - I Was a Simple Man". Variety Insight. Archived from the original on March 21, 2021. Retrieved March 21, 2021.
- ↑ "ANNOUNCING THE 2021 SDAFF AWARD WINNERS". 2021 San Diego Asian Film Festival. November 6, 2021. Archived from the original on November 7, 2021. Retrieved November 7, 2021.
- ↑ Le, Anderson (November 15, 2021). "HIFF41 Announces Festival Award Winners | Hawai'i International Film Festival". Retrieved December 19, 2021.
- ↑ "37th Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival Announces Award Winners". 2021 Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival. Retrieved December 19, 2021.[dead link]
- ↑ "I Was a Simple Man". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved June 4, 2022.
- ↑ "I Was a Simple Man". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved June 4, 2022.
- ↑ "The Best Movies of 2021". The New Yorker. December 2, 2021. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
- ↑ Hadadi, Roxana. "I Was a Simple Man movie review (2021) | Roger Ebert". www.rogerebert.com. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
- ↑ Ehrlich, David (January 29, 2021). "'I Was a Simple Man' Review: Constance Wu Stars in a Hushed and Haunting Hawaii Ghost Story". IndieWire. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
External links
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