Sake-Bomb

Visions, World Premiere
D: Junya Sakino; with Gaku Hamada, Eugene Kim, Marlane Barnes

In his first feature film, Sakino takes us on a funny, finely executed road trip of love, loss, and culture clashes: Unemployed video blogger Sebastian (Kim) is a cynical Asian-American who knows more about Asian stereotypes than he does his own culture. His life takes a turn when his naive cousin Naoto (Hamada), a professional sakemaker, arrives from Japan in search of his long-lost girlfriend. Ordered by his father to help Naoto find his ex, Sebastian – resentful of his role as chauffeur and chaperone – gradually takes on a softer edge as the two bond over some hard lessons about women. Along the way, Naoto gets his first jolting taste of a sake-bomb – made by dropping a shot of sake into a glass of beer. The cocktail is an illustrative blend of two worlds in one Nissan, making for a road trip movie that is no ordinary journey.

Thursday, March 14, 8:30pm, Violet Crown

This article appears in March 15 • 2013.

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Amy Smith has been writing about Austin policy and politics for over 20 years. She joined The Austin Chronicle in 1996.