Today it was announced that Atsuko Maeda will star in Nobuhiro Yamashita’s upcoming film Moratorium Tamako, which is slated to premiere at the Busan International Film Festival. The two previously worked together on 2012’s The Drudgery Train. That film wasn’t particularly successful at the box office, but it was well-received by critics and Maeda’s performance earned her a Japanese Professional Movie Award for Best Actress.
In the new film, Maeda will play protagonist Tamako, a lazy young woman who does nothing all day but lounge around and eat.
Tamako graduated from a Tokyo university, but when she couldn’t find a job she was forced to return to her father’s home in Kofu. Instead of helping out with her father’s business, she spends her time eating and sleeping. The story depicts her baby steps forward in life as the seasons change over the span of one full year.
According to director Yamashita, Maeda is particularly good at portraying Tamako’s misplaced anger, laziness, and hopeless attitude. As a result, what was originally produced as a TV short was extended into a full feature film in order to make full use of her talents.
The project first began as a series of 30-second station IDs for “Music On! TV” representing each of the four seasons. The premise was later adapted to a special TV drama on the same channel.
nipponcinema