TBC
1hr 30mins

Lonely prisoner and former yakuza member Minoru talks to his sole companion, a potted hosenka (balsam), about his past and the meaning of life. Betrayed and manipulated from a young age, he still clings to one thing — the hope of turning his life around — in this tender anime.


Screening as part of The Japan Foundation Touring Programme


Unfortunately no Audio Description track is available for this feature.
KINOSHITA Baku
TBC
Animation
Japanese
Contains Foreign Language Subtitles

The Last Blossom (ホウセンカ)

AKUTSU Minoru (KOBAYASHI Kaoru present self, TOZUKA Junki past self), serving a life sentence, awaits a lonely death in his prison cell. The only real sign of life in the cell is a potted balsam flower — hosenka in Japanese. One night, Minoru begins sharing his life story with the flower that, improbably, talks back — prompting him to reflect on the meaning of life.

The summer of 1987. Minoru, a low-ranking yakuza member, lives with single mother NAGATA Nana (MIYAZAKI Yoshiko present self, MITSUSHIMA Hikari past self) and her son Kensuke (HANAE Natsuki). Despite being shy about expressing his feelings, Minoru loves them with all his heart.

However, when Minoru suddenly faces a desperate situation and needs a large sum of money, he teams up with TSUTSUMI (YASUMOTO Hiroki), a senior gangster, to steal 300 million yen from their gang’s safe. Caught in a web of misplaced loyalty and friendship, Minoru finds himself manipulated but still clings to the hope of one last secret comeback from his troubled life.

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Sun 1 Mar
Lift Out of Action

Please Note that our Lift is currently out of order due to a technical issue. Our Box Office, Bar Café and Vicolo all have step-free access, but access to all screens requires the use of stairs. We are working to rectify this issue as quickly as possible, and appreciate your patience and understanding. Please accept our apologies for any inconvenience caused.