Ryuichi Sakamoto: Coda (2018)
91%RT Audience Score: 84%
Awards & Nominations: 8 nominations
Ryuichi Sakamoto: Coda takes a thoughtful look at the composer’s life and legacy that should prove affecting and illuminating for novices as well as longtime fans.
If you’re looking for a documentary that will make you feel like a musical genius, Ryuichi Sakamoto: Coda is not it. But if you want to be transported into the mind of a legendary composer and see the world through his eyes, then this is the film for you. Schible’s camera work may not be the best, but the way he captures Sakamoto’s creative process is nothing short of magical. Plus, who doesn’t love a good meditation on mortality and things out of tune? Overall, a must-watch for any music lover or creative soul.
Production Company(ies)
20th Century Studios, Amblin Entertainment, Amblin Partners
Distributor
MUBI
Release Type
Theatrical, Theatrical (Limited)
Filming Location(s)
New York, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Not Rated
Year of Release
2018
-
Color:Color
-
Sound mix:Dolby
-
Aspect ratio:NA
-
Runtime:1h 41m
-
Language(s):Japanese, English
-
Country of origin:United States, Japan
-
Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Jul 6, 2018 Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 3, 2020
Genre(s)
Documentary/Music
Keyword(s)
documentary, music, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Stephen Schible, Stephen Schible, Tsuguhiko Kadokawa, Neo Sora, Hisayo Kushida, box office, budget, reviewed by David Stratton, reviewed by Marjorie Baumgarten, reviewed by Brad Wheeler, reviewed by G Allen Johnson, reviewed by Michael Phillips, reviewed by Michael Rechtshaffen, directed by Stephen Schible, produced by Stephen Schible, MPAA rating, MUBI, Japanese, composer, legacy, creative process, nature, mortality, artistry, career, portrait, cinematographer, film editing, audience score, critic consensus, novices, longtime fans, Avicii: True Stories, Sharkwater Extinction, Say My Name, A Tuba to Cuba, Leaning Into the Wind: Andy Goldsworthy
Worldwide gross: $962,850
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $1,133,057
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,570
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 123,561
US/Canada gross: $117,460
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $138,224
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,609
US/Canada opening weekend: $12,827
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $15,094
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,601
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Stephen Schible – Director, Producer
Tsuguhiko Kadokawa – Executive Producer
Neo Sora – Cinematographer
Hisayo Kushida – Film Editing
Director(s)
Stephen Schible
Writer(s)
NA
Producer(s)
NA
Film Festivals
Venice
Awards & Nominations
8 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (48) | Top Critics (19) | Fresh (47) | Rotten (1)
Schible’s documentary – while not particularly well shot – is a very useful insight into the work of a major composer.
October 26, 2018 | Rating: 3.5/5
David Stratton
The Australian
TOP CRITIC
Those who are interested in how documentarians capture artistry on film will find good examples in Ryuichi Sakamoto: Coda. It helps to come to the film with some foreknowledge of Sakamoto’s career, however.
August 16, 2018 | Rating: 2.5/5
Marjorie Baumgarten
Austin Chronicle
TOP CRITIC
Isn’t a life story or a deep-dive character study. Rather it is a heartfelt mediation on the creative process, with elegantly presented ideas on nature, music, mortality and things out of tune.
August 2, 2018 | Rating: 3/4
Brad Wheeler
Globe and Mail
TOP CRITIC
Stephen Nomura Schible’s documentary, Ryuichi Sakamoto: CODA is not only a portrait of a great artist, but a sensitive and engrossing depiction of the act of creation and its process.
July 26, 2018 | Rating: 4/4
G. Allen Johnson
San Francisco Chronicle
TOP CRITIC
Simply by lingering with his pensive, compelling subject at the keyboard, or engaging Sakamoto (discreetly) in his thoughts on his life and his music, Schible casts a spell and captures the spirit of a uniquely gifted composer.
July 26, 2018 | Rating: 3.5/4
Michael Phillips
Chicago Tribune
TOP CRITIC
The intimate documentary “Ryuichi Sakamoto: Coda” finds the accomplished composer in a deeply introspective place in both his life and career.
July 12, 2018
Michael Rechtshaffen
Los Angeles Times
TOP CRITIC
Ryuichi Sakamoto: CODA flows with the same haunting grace that latches itself on to one of Sakamoto’s iconic scores or compositions.
February 11, 2022
Cory Woodroof
615 Film
A sensational portrait of a legendary musical poet. I could watch this 100 times and still be fascinated by its beauty.
December 7, 2020 | Rating: 4.5/5
Morgan Rojas
Cinemacy
Stephen Schible’s documentary biography of the great film composer is not only an interesting portrait of an artist but a sensitive and engrossing exploration of the act of creation itself.
November 6, 2020
Karen Martin
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
An intimate portrait of one of the great musical legends…
September 23, 2020 | Rating: 4/5
Andrew Heskins
easternKicks.com
Spend some time with Riyuchi Sakamoto and you will see and hear the world differently. It’s what some of us want in a movie experience.
November 22, 2019
Catherine Capellaro
Isthmus (Madison, WI)
Ryuichi Sakamoto: Coda perfectly captures the somber side of the beloved composer but fails to better engage the other facets of his work and history.
July 17, 2019 | Rating: 2.5/5
Dominic Griffin
Spectrum Culture…
Plot
From techno-pop stardom to Oscar-winning film composer, the evolution of Ryuichi Sakamoto’s music has coincided with his life journeys. Following Fukushima, Sakamoto became an iconic figure in Japan’s social movement against nuclear power. As Sakamoto returns to music following a cancer diagnosis, his haunting awareness of life crises leads to a resounding new masterpiece. RYUICHI SAKAMOTO: CODA is an intimate portrait of both the artist and the man.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Ryuichi Sakamoto is the only cast member in the documentary film Ryuichi Sakamoto: Coda.
Stephen-Schible.jpg
