THE CATS OF GOKOGU SHRINE (Gokogu no Neko) Observational Film ≠10
Director: Kazuhiro Soda
119 minutes. Japan, USA.
2024. Languages: Japanese
Official Selection, Forum Section, Berlin International Film Festival 2024
The screening will be followed by a Q&A with filmmaker Kazuhiro Soda, hosted by Dr. Tony Tracy.
The Cats of Gokogu Shrine by Japanese filmmaker Kazuhiro Soda (Zero, EAFFI 2023) is filmed at Gokogu, an ancient Shinto shrine in Ushimado near the Seto Inland Sea in Japan. Home to dozens of street cats, it is also known as Cat Shrine. People visit to worship, to garden or tend to the shrine, while others stop by on their way to fish; and it’s the perfect place for after-school play. But mostly, it’s a haven for cat-lovers. Some residents though complain about the waste the cats leave around their neighbourhood. Gokogu looks peaceful on the surface, but is the epicentre of a divide in the community.
Soda’s follow-up to Oyster Factory (2015) and Inland Sea (2018) also shot in Ushimado, sees him drawn in by the allure of the place and, befriending the local street cats he started rolling his camera. The result is as beautiful as it is harsh, a simple yet complex portrayal, observing an aging community and its spiritual centre.
(Marie-Pierre Richard)