A modern day odyssey story of a Tokyo gigolo and how a violent attack sets in motion a journey back to his childhood roots.
‘River’ comes in as a true breath of fresh narrative, ravaging its energy from the shimmering Tokyo nights. A film detailed on its style, reflecting the exhilarating lifestyle of Tokyo’s male gigolos. Originally funded to be a music video for The Belle Game, but for director Kheaven Lewandowski it seemed like the perfect concept to expand into a short film.
We shot some extra scenes with the actors improvising their dialogue—but I don’t speak Japanese, so I had to trust my actors were hitting the conversation points we discussed. I was really happy when I got the dialogue translated in the editing phase, there was lots to work with. The short film finally all came together in the editing phase when I added the voice over narration that touches on the nuances of that particular subculture.
‘River’ is the type of film that feeds off its own pace, and despite not speaking Japanese (like the directed), we still feel a strong connection through the actors emotions and tones. The excellent soundtrack from The Belle Game helps create the dreamy and almost fantasy-like mood in the film. A piece to truly enjoy!
