Ryuichi Sakamoto: Opus is something remarkable. A documentary of performance, nearly without words, expressively shot with minimalism and an unblinking eye on the masterful musician who, despite the edges of frailty from the cancer that would soon take his life, gives everything to the world in this, his final performance. Criterion’s release of this essential and unique concert film is technically superb.
The Production: 5/5
Ryuichi Sakamoto died on March 28, 2023. Before he died, he performed one final, intimate concert in late 2022 at the NHK 509 Studio in Tokyo.
The stripped-down simplicity of Ryuichi Sakamoto sitting at his piano, playing 20 specially selected pieces of music from his impressive repertoire, belies the complex emotional power of this film. The weight of a life lived and death imminent permeates the presentation, but not in a funereal way; rather, it is a man standing at the face of his end, performing his music as an act of life, art, and perhaps defiance. It is a gift of extraordinary power.
Director Neo Sora, son of Ryuichi Sakamoto, directs with grace and beauty. As the film opens, the studio is dark except for the illuminated pianist and his piano. The light brightens slowly over the following several pieces, before darkening again as the concert nears its end. It mirrors the rising and setting sun, or the path of a life brightest at its peak and darkest as the pages open and near close, only shining brighter on the closing piece, which will stay with you. Through it all, Ryuichi Sakamoto commands our attention. His expressions as he navigates the notes, or his hands as they expertly press upon the piano’s ivory keys, demonstrate Sakamoto’s mastery of his music through deft pianissimo and mezzo piano techniques. His pedaling is strong and delicate at key moments, punctuating silences with hard withdrawals of his hands and pedal; it is exquisite.
The fourth piece, “Solitude,” is perhaps the most moving of all. Played far slower than the original recording (composed for the soundtrack to Jun Ichikawa’s 2005, Tony Takitani), it aches with regret and joy, pensive and delicate, full of questions and wonder. As the piece concludes, Sakamoto can be seen coughing but not heard. The camera lingers as he contends with the effects of the cancer that would take his life in just a few short months.
Opus is just us, the audience, invited into the intimate space. Sora moves the camera gently, up, around, past, watching Sakamoto move his head into the rhythm, and his body into the playing. And his playing is stunning. Controlled to near perfection, but we also see that when Sakamoto is not pleased with his playing, he expresses frustration as the demands of the playing and this moment weigh on him. The inclusion of the take of “Bibo no aozoar” that Sakamoto was not pleased with, as he sought to explore a stretch of dissonance extemporaneously, is a testament to his skill and art. Though a different take that Sakamoto was satisfied with was recorded, the inclusion of the ‘imperfect’ take is a gift.
Opus is a meditation on life, art, and finality, expressed in the most haunting and human way possible, through the selection of pieces chosen from Ryuichi’s considerable compositional library. Sakamoto chose the pieces for their milestone significance and because they were his favorites. It is one of the most moving experiences put to film—an ode to an essential composer of our time.
Sakamoto was a founding member of the innovative Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO). This Japanese electronic group helped pioneer the use of electronic instruments as well as loops and samples, creating what was dubbed “Computer music.” Throughout his career, Sakamoto explored various musical genres, including ambient, and genre fusions, such as electro-funk. However, his classical and film compositions came to define him for many. His first film, Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence, in 1983, was a powerful entry into film scoring. He would go on to win an Oscar for his score to Bernardo Bertolucci’s The Last Emperor, and compose for films such as The Sheltering Sky, Wuthering Heights, Snake Eyes, and The Revenant. His creativity was unending. Even during his final months, Sakamoto was crafting music, several pieces which would become “12”, his final album. Songs he created as the end approached (one piece, 20220302 – sarabande, named for the date recorded, is performed in Opus.)
Ryuichi Sakamoto: Opus is a beautiful testament to an artist—a mesmeric, sad, joyful expression of creativity and humanity. Deeply, deeply moving for those familiar with his music and even for those for whom this is an introduction to this man and his music.
Video: 5/5
3D Rating: NA
Filmed in black and white, the image is startling. The black levels are deep and pure, with sparse but well-placed light casting shadows that outline the subject, including the many tiny hairs on his neck, chin, and upper lip, which are pronounced. The frame-filling 1.90:1 aspect ratio enhances intimacy and accentuates director Sora’s carefully chosen camera movements, binding us to the composer’s powerful performance. Filmed in resolutions up to 8K and finished with a 4K digital intermediary, Opus is stunning to look at.
Audio: 5/5
Whereas the digital release of Ryuichi Sakamoto: Opus provides a 5.1 Dolby Digital Plus track (on Fandango at Home), Criterion’s Blu-Ray release delivers a powerful Dolby Atmos track, and it is the best way to experience this film. The music breathes freely without being distracted by unnecessary directional gimmicks. Instead, it allows the notes from the piano to exist naturally with us, coming from the front and center channels, with echoes and drifts from the notes filling the space around us as they might if we were sitting in a small concert hall with pure acoustics. The penultimate track, “Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence,” is a standout for the Atmos.
The dozens of microphones set up around the studio and piano, as well as those designed to capture Sakamoto’s breathing, reinforce the deeply intimate sense created by the film of our proximity to this performance.
Special Features: 2/5
While it is limited in special features, this disc is all about the film itself; however, the brief conversation with the director and cinematographer offers valuable insight into the film’s creation, as well as an opportunity to learn more about Ryuichi Sakamoto himself.
- Meet the Filmmakers: A 15-minute conversation featuring director Neo Soar and cinematographer Bill Kirsten.
- Trailers
Overall: 5/5
Ryuichi Sakamoto: Opus is something remarkable. A documentary of performance, nearly without words, expressively shot with minimalism and an unblinking eye on the masterful musician who, despite the edges of frailty from the cancer that would soon take his life, gives everything to the world in this, his final performance. Criterion’s release of this essential and unique concert film is technically superb.
Neil has been a member of the Home Theater Forum reviewing staff since 2007, approaching a thousand reviews and interviews with actors, directors, writers, stunt performers, producers and more in that time. A senior communications manager and podcast host with a Fortune 500 company by day, Neil lives in the Charlotte, NC area with his wife and son, serves on the Down Syndrome Association of Greater Charlotte Board of Directors, and has a passion for film scores, with a collection in the thousands.
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