The Brightest Sun review: Tetsuya Nakashima subverts expectations in poignant mystery

4/5 stars Tetsuya Nakashima’s first feature film in seven years marks a dramatic change in tone for the auteur best known for the aesthetic excesses of films such as Memories of Matsuko and Kamikaze Girls. The Brightest Sun may begin with the investigation into the murder of a corrupt former police officer, but it quickly subverts expectations, pivoting into a surprisingly poignant exploration of grief, disability and the burden of parenthood. Adapted from the novel by Bunzo Uchiumi, The...