A son films his dying father’s last performances on the piano in this elegiac final tribute to one of the most creative musical minds of the last 50 years.

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It is difficult to review Ryuichi Sakamoto: Opus because how do you judge a film about a person who is no longer alive but still serenading us with the piano for nearly two hours? 

It doesn’t operate as a traditional music documentary with talking heads and scenes of music-making or touring; neither is it a pure concert film in the way that Tripping with Nils Frahm (2020) was—a trance-inducing performative act. 

There is no audience reaction in Opus, only a filmmaker who patiently continues with one take after another. It must have been equally difficult for director Neo Sora as it was for Sakamoto, who was dying of cancer, but the show must go on. 

So, once more, we go again, more solemnly now than ever before as we recall the pieces—not just the Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrences and Last Emperors that have come to define this magical soul, but also his lesser-known works (though Sakamoto aficionados will beg to differ). 

“Let’s go again.”

It isn’t only about the music—a son must film his beloved father: his delicate hands, his furrowed brows, that deeply focused look, those thick-rimmed spectacles, that carefully-parted hair. 

My favourite piece of his is the underrated theme for The Sheltering Sky (1990), but one of the best moments in Opus comes when Sakamoto temporarily ‘forgets’ how to play ‘Bibo no Aozora’ (made more popular when it was included in Inarritu’s 2006 drama, Babel). 

As he struggles to find the right chord and accompanying melody, those who have heard the numerous variations of this song over the years will know that part of the mysterious allure of this particular piece is its openness to improvisation and dissonance. 

Opus, while sometimes repetitive in visual design, will probably interest only the most ardent of fans.  When the images don’t quite compel anymore, the option of closing your eyes and opening up your heart becomes a comforting one.

Grade: B+

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