The Sunflower on the Shogi Board (Banjo no Himawari) (2019)

Description:

In 1994, a human skeleton is discovered in a mountain, accompanied by a master-crafted shogi game piece. This unique clue drives a veteran detective and his rookie partner to investigate the deceased's identity and the piece's owner. Their investigation soon leads them to Keisuke, a genius professional shogi player. During an interview, Keisuke recalls his challenging 1972 childhood, marked by a difficult home life. He fondly remembers a kind retired teacher, Koichiro, who introduced him to shogi and profoundly shaped his life. As the detectives confront Keisuke, the central questions emerge: Is he the killer, or does he hold the key to the deceased's identity? The film intricately weaves together past trauma, a shared passion for shogi, and a decades-old mystery, where every move on the shogi board could reveal a hidden truth.

Director: Honda Ryuichi [本田隆一]

Country: Japanese

Status: Completed

Released: 2019

Genre:Crime; Investigation; Murder; Mystery