Katsuki Mama (aka Yoshiteru Kawata) is the second generation owner of Kusuo, a landmark gay bar in Shinjuku’s 2-Chome. “I always wanted to come out to my family whom I love”, Katsuki Mama tells us. To live authentically to himself, he left his hometown in Okinawa in his late 20’s. Ten years on, he came out to both parents as gay, took them by surprise, and caused them pain. Today he honestly can say “we are very close”. What dialogs transpired to reach this stage in his family? How did he come to terms with his family? Strolling through the city of Naha in Okinawa, he reflects on the days when he came out to his family and friends, telling us what he wasn’t able to say way back when.
＜Message from the film’s Director Hiroaki Matsuoka＞
It was losing my mother to cancer before I had the chance to come out to her that brought about this film documentary. I originally thought about whether there is a world view on sharing the joys of coming out, and regretting the passing of your mother who should be the most important person to you before you were able to be your authentic self with her. It was years after the passing of my mother when I heard Katsuki Mama’s coming out story at Kusuo, and I felt that this story had an ideal ending to the coming out that I wanted to know about. I wanted to spread this message through film, this possible ending to a coming out story. This is what I had in mind when I directed this film.
Director：MATSUOKA Hiroaki
2021｜JAPAN｜103 min｜Japanese
[Documentary] / [G]
