Ryuichi Sakamoto: Opus

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Ryuichi Sakamoto: Opus

2024

1h 43m

Documentary

Music

Biography

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33 Reviews

91%

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A celebration of an artist's life in the purest sense, Ryuichi Sakamoto: Opus is the definitive swan song of one of the world's greatest musicians. In late 2022, as a parting gift, Ryuichi Sakamoto mustered all of his energy to leave us with one final performance: a concert film featuring just him and his piano. Curated and sequenced by Sakamoto himself, the twenty pieces featured in the film wordlessly narrate his life through his wide-ranging oeuvre. The selection spans his entire career, from his pop-star period with Yellow Magic Orchestra and his magnificent scores for filmmaker Bernardo Bertolucci to his meditative final album,12. Intimately filmed in a space he knew well and surrounded by his most trusted collaborators, including director Neo Sora, his son, Sakamoto bares his soul through his exquisitely haunting melodies, knowing this was the last time he would be able to present his art.

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Critics Consensus

The beautifully filmed Ryuichi Sakamoto: Opus is a powerful testament to the brilliant composer's legacy as well as a poignant valediction.

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Tim Cogshell

FilmWeek (LAist)

04/17/2024

This is exquisite. Just beautiful.

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Kimberley Jones

Austin Chronicle

03/28/2024

Filmed in magnificent monochrome with the kind of richness that reminds you black and white are colors too, Ryuichi Sakamoto | Opus will put you in a contemplative place.

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Leslie Felperin

Guardian

03/28/2024

4/5

The austerity of the film-making affords a rare chance to meditate on his range and the variety of his work as well as the consistency of his voice as a composer.

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Calvin Law

The Asian Cut

08/02/2025

4.5/5

The film’s power lies in something so simple yet so extraordinary: watching a master at his craft perform for us one last time.

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Codie Allen

Geek Vibes Nation

07/22/2025

9/10

Ryuichi Sakamoto | Opus stands as a poignant ode and farewell, a heartfelt adieu conveyed in the language of his artistry.

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Philip Bagnall

Loud and Clear Reviews

09/19/2024

4/5

Sakamoto used Opus to serve as a tribute, a performance piece, and a time capsule. His works will endure, and Sora honours his subject’s memory by presenting them in as simple and beautiful a manner as possible.

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Steve C

@RT19610513 01/18/2025

AI can only imitate. It will never compose anything as good as Sakamoto. RIP

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Maria T

@RT45717719 08/13/2024

Beautiful film, and the best music film with amazing performance of late Ryuichi Sakamoto. The visuals are stunning, and it shows artist’s powerful end of life, Sakamoto’s way of living in music, and his story in profound way. The creative way ryuichi and the team archived with audio is phenomenal.

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Neo Sora

Director

Ryuichi Sakamoto

Self

Norika Sky-Sora

Producer

Albert Tholen

Producer

Eric Nyari

Producer

Aiko Masubuchi

Producer

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Synopsis

A celebration of an artist's life in the purest sense, Ryuichi Sakamoto: Opus is the definitive swan song of one of the world's greatest musicians. In late 2022, as a parting gift, Ryuichi Sakamoto mustered all of his energy to leave us with one final performance: a concert film featuring just him and his piano. Curated and sequenced by Sakamoto himself, the twenty pieces featured in the film wordlessly narrate his life through his wide-ranging oeuvre. The selection spans his entire career, from his pop-star period with Yellow Magic Orchestra and his magnificent scores for filmmaker Bernardo Bertolucci to his meditative final album,12. Intimately filmed in a space he knew well and surrounded by his most trusted collaborators, including director Neo Sora, his son, Sakamoto bares his soul through his exquisitely haunting melodies, knowing this was the last time he would be able to present his art.

Director: Neo Sora
Producer: Norika Sky-Sora, Albert Tholen, Eric Nyari, Aiko Masubuchi, Jeremy Thomas
Distributor: Janus Films
Production Co: Bitters End, KAB America
Genre: Documentary, Music, Biography
Original Language: Japanese
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 15, 2024, Limited
Box Office (Gross USA): $86.4K
Runtime: 1h 43m

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