Disabled Actor Stars in Major Motion Picture

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An actor living with the real-life challenges of cerebral palsy played a disabled serial killer in the acclaimed and controversial Japanese motion picture Late Bloomer ("Osoi Hito"). Tidepoint Pictures' Bone House Asia label announced the March 24th release of the highly-anticipated DVD.

Tidepoint Pictures, distributor of Asian motion pictures that push at the boundaries, announces the March 24th DVD release of Late Bloomer ("Osoi Hito"). A thought-provoking horror film by the celebrated Japanese director Go Shibata, the movie stars Masakiyo Sumida, a first-time actor with cerebral palsy, who plays a serial killer.

Late Bloomer Synopsis

Disabled with cerebral palsy, all he wanted was to hang out with his pals, just like anybody else. Beer, rock and roll, and women. But when his best friend steals his secret love, he launches into a cold-blooded rampage of revenge.

In an electrifying debut performance, the film's star, Masakiyo Sumida, speaks on-screen and off-screen using a text-to-speech voice synthesizer. Indicative of the common mis-perceptions about the disabled, some Japanese marketing executives even advised Late Bloomer's director, Go Shibata, to cast an able-bodied actor to play a disabled man in the leading role.

Because of the cultural taboos surrounding disability in Japan, the producers of Late Bloomer faced a daunting struggle to get the movie released there. Unable to find a movie distributor willing to take on the hot-button theme of a disabled serial killer, the producers distributed the film themselves in Japan where it enjoyed a successful run in theaters. The U.S. theatrical opening by Tidepoint Pictures followed just months after the film's premiere in Tokyo.

"Tidepoint is excited to present Late Bloomer to a wider audience through this DVD release," said Tetsuki Ijichi, President of Tidepoint Pictures. "The film offers a glimpse into a man's life, a Japanese man who's been marginalized by society. But at the same time, it portrays the universality of human emotion. Late Bloomer is gritty, and it's raw. But if a film doesn't challenge you, it's not worth seeing."

With a haunting soundtrack featuring the electronic sounds of world's end girlfriend, Late Bloomer's visual style ups the tension and unease of viewers who step inside the mind of a man pushed to the brink - and beyond.

DVD Features

The Late Bloomer DVD is presented wide-screen in Japanese with optional English subtitles. Special Features include:

• A greeting from the director, Go Shibata
• Interviews with the director and cast
• Original theatrical trailer
• Tidepoint Pictures' trailer gallery

Tidepoint Pictures is a motion picture distribution company that bridges the Pacific to bring contemporary and cutting-edge Asian films to North American audiences. Through its new cult/horror label, Bone House Asia, the Company has distributed such Asian movie favorites as Noriko's Dinner Table directed by Sion Sono, and Long Dream, based on the horror comic book manga by Junji Ito and directed by Higuchinsky.

Attribution/Source(s):

This quality-reviewed article relating to our Recreation and Entertainment section was selected for publishing by the editors of Disabled World due to its likely interest to our disability community readers. Though the content may have been edited for style, clarity, or length, the article "Disabled Actor Stars in Major Motion Picture" was originally written by Tidepoint Pictures, and published by Disabled-World.com on 2009/03/20 (Updated: 2023/09/20). Should you require further information or clarification, Tidepoint Pictures can be contacted at tidepoint.com. Disabled World makes no warranties or representations in connection therewith.

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