Ryuichi Sakamoto | Opus

If you've not watched Opus yet or are about to, hit pause and watch Coda first if you've not already. The documentary gives a really wonderful broad introduction to Sakamoto and his work, before you sit down to appreciate what's happening here. This is a concert film. His final performance before his passing in 2023. He'd not toured or played for years on account of the cancer diagnosis. Opus is the very definition of a defiant last goodbye. Shot in Japan in beautifully crisp black and white. Just him and the piano, it's very intimate. No audience, the viewer gets their own personal concert with the very best seat in the house, often sat right next to Sakamoto. It's beautifully shot, but you can close your eyes and still appreciate Opus. It's the music after all where the magic lies. Watching him play though is a treat. The way he moves, the hand motions as he orchestrates the pianos sustain at the end of a song. Repositioning his glasses or retuning the piano, adding a metallic reverb to the strings. The poignant moments when he takes a break, inaudibly talking to someone off camera as he catches his breath from a cough. Capturing work like this is not easy, but here it seems effortless. It's a beautiful piece of work, lovingly put together by his son Neo Sora. A fitting finale.

8/10.