From eMediaWire:Tidepoint Pictures, distributor of Asian motion pictures, announces the March 24 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 misperceptions 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 theatres. 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 electronica 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.
To watch the trailer for Late Bloomer, go here.