Yoshimitsu Morita, who died last December at 61, would seem to be a classic example of a brilliant young independent filmmaker who ends up as a mainstream journeyman, a career path all too common in Japanese films.
After winning international praise for "Kazoku Gemu (The Family Game)," a 1983 black comedy about a cynical home tutor's takeover of a dysfunctional family, Morita was hailed as the fresh, new voice of Japanese cinema.
In the 1990s, however, he took a more commercial turn, scoring a smash hit with 1997's "Shitsurakuen (Lost Paradise)," a portentous drama about an adulterous middle-aged couple who commit double-suicide. Morita, however, was never easy to pigeonhole; to the end he kept returning to his experimental and comic roots, with varying box office and critical success.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.