MAHOROBA

A cathartic journey that plays with the contrast between corporate brutality and the beauty of the unknown. Mahoroba is less about the destination than about the courage to escape.

At the Hudsucker corporate headquarters, a salaryman (“Me”) is the constant target of his hulking, bald, perverted boss’ violent retribution. Bittersweet childhood memories of Me’s late grandmother keep him going, but his brutal work life pushes him to the breaking point. Me gets sweet revenge and hightails it out of Tokyo, only to have his airplane violently hijacked. He’s dumped into the Pacific Ocean and onto the shores of remote island Mahoroba (an ancient Japanese word describing a far-off utopia). Note: Screened at the 13th Shimokitazawa Film Festival on September 20, 2021, where it also won the Grand Prize among 12 nominated works.