Synopsis

A glamorous yet perilous night in Tokyo’s Ginza during the 1980s. The elite, artists, and yakuza gather under the spell of jazz to dance the night away. Based on the memoirs of jazz pianist Minami Hiroshi, this one-night tale—interwoven with a fateful, forbidden melody—unfolds like a Möbius strip, bending time and destiny.

Program Note

White Keys and Black Keys is based on the essays of jazz pianist Minami Hiroshi. Set against the backdrop of Japan's 1980s jazz scene, it follows Minami, a classically trained pianist, as he transitions into a new life as a jazz musician in a Ginza club. The film unfolds as a kind of mystery, filled with the dreamlike melodies of jazz and enigmatic characters who haunt the club. Seamlessly shifting between fantasy and reality, and freely jumping across timelines, it captures the melancholic essence of 1980s Japanese cinema. Sosuke Ikematsu delivers a standout performance as Minami Hiroshi. (Choi Eun-young)

Director

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  • Tominaga Masanori
  • Born in 1975. His graduation short film Dolmen (2000) received a Special Mention from the Jury at the Oberhausen Short Film Festival. He made his feature debut with Pavilion Salamander (2006), and has since directed works including the film Pumpkin and Mayonnaise (2017) and the series I Sell My Hands (2024).