A Missing Part Explained

A Missing Part
Native Name:
Director:Guillaume Senez
Cinematography:Elin Kirschfink
Editing:Julie Brenta
Music:Olivier Marguerit
Runtime:98 minutes

A Missing Part (fr|Une part manquante) is a 2024 Belgian-French drama film directed by Guillaume Senez. It premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on 9 September 2024.

Premise

Having lost custody of his half-Japanese daughter after a divorce, a French taxi driver in Tokyo spends his days looking for her. When she finally enters his taxi, she does not recognize him.

Cast

Production

Director Guillaume Senez was inspired to write the film after learning about post-divorce parental custody rights in Japan.[1] [2] To aid in their research, Senez and actor Romain Duris met with three French nationals who had lost custody of their children due to Japanese law.[3]

Principal photography began in October 2023. Filming locations included Tokyo, Sagami Bay, and Yokohama.[4] [5]

Release

A clip from the film was released on 6 September 2024. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on 9 September 2024.[6] It received a theatrical release in France on 13 November 2024.

Reception

David Opie of IndieWire gave the film a grade of B+, writing, "This often quiet, thoughtful story of a man who's incomplete reminds us to keep fighting for the part that's missing, whether that be striving for change or even just existing to fight another day."[7]

Louis Roberts of Loud and Clear Reviews rated the film four stars out of five and wrote, "...Serez's film raises questions that go beyond mere legislation, interrogating the attitudes that make up a country's social fabric. That he manages to achieve such ambitions without sacrificing the movie's intimacy speaks volumes about his craftsmanship."[8]

Aurore Engelen of Cineuropa wrote, "Buoyed by a super-efficient screenplay, composed of little nothings which result in this impossible encounter, taking a chiaro-scuro path towards a resolution that's as luminous as it is doomed from the outset, A Missing Part explores both a father’s obsession and the irreconcilable otherness of a foreigner or stranger."[9]

Paul Enicola of The Asian Cut complimented Senez's direction in portraying a "deglamorized Tokyo...allowing the city to emerge as a character in its own right. And with the urban landscape mirroring Jay's estrangement and alienation, the film [emphasizes] his growing sense of disconnect from a world that has always felt foreign to him."[10]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Keslassy . Elsa . 'One Fine Morning' Producer Les Films Pelleas Sets Next Project by Guillaume Senez, Guillaume Brac, Anne-Sophie Bailly (EXCLUSIVE) . . 4 September 2024 . 6 September 2022 . 4 September 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240904015038/https://variety.com/2022/global/global/one-fine-morning-les-films-pelleas-guillaume-senez-anne-sophie-bailly-1235360601/ . live .
  2. Web site: Keslassy . Elsa . David Thion, Producer of Palme d'Or Winner 'Anatomy of a Fall,' Prepares Guillaume Senez' Japan-Set 'Une Part Manquante' (EXCLUSIVE) . . 4 September 2024 . 30 May 2023.
  3. Web site: Goodfellow . Melanie . Romain Duris Japan Custody Law Drama 'A Missing Part' Unveils First Sales & First Clip – Toronto . Deadline . 6 September 2024 . 6 September 2024 . 7 September 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240907003239/https://deadline.com/video/romain-duris-japan-custody-law-drama-a-missing-part-clip-sales-toronto/ . live .
  4. Web site: Dams . Tim . Guillaume Senez starts shooting 'A Missing Part' starring Romain Duris in Japan (exclusive) . . 4 September 2024 . 16 October 2023 . 4 September 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240904013134/https://www.screendaily.com/news/guillaume-senez-starts-shooting-a-missing-part-starring-romain-duris-in-japan-exclusive/5186905.article . live .
  5. Web site: Engelen . Aurore . Guillaume Senez reunites with Romain Duris for Une part manquante . . 4 September 2024 . 17 October 2023.
  6. Web site: D'Alessandro . Anthony . TIFF Centrepiece Lineup Includes Works By Steven Soderbergh, Erin Lee Carr & Mohammad Rasoulof . . 4 September 2024 . 6 August 2024 . 28 August 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240828044536/https://deadline.com/2024/08/tiff-centrepiece-lineup-2024-1236032435/ . live .
  7. Web site: Opie . David . 'A Missing Part' Review: Romain Duris Fights for His Estranged Japanese Daughter in a Thoughtful Custody Drama . . 11 September 2024 . 10 September 2024 . 11 September 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240911000233/https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/a-missing-part-review-romain-duris-1235046293/ . live .
  8. Web site: Roberts . Louis . A Missing Part Review: Families Lost in Translation . Loud and Clear Reviews . 11 September 2024 . 10 September 2024 . 11 September 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240911012844/https://loudandclearreviews.com/a-missing-part-review-2024-film/ . live .
  9. Web site: Engelen . Aurore . Review: A Missing Part . . 11 September 2024 . 10 September 2024 . 11 September 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240911012401/https://cineuropa.org/en/newsdetail/466839 . live .
  10. Web site: Enicola . Paul . 13 September 2024 . TIFF 2024: 'A Missing Part' Artfully Tells the Story of a Foreigner and a Father . 16 September 2024 . The Asian Cut . en-CA . 16 September 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240916055916/https://theasiancut.com/post/a-missing-part-directed-by-guillaume-senez-review/ . live .

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