For the entirety of his last concert film, the late Ryuichi Sakamoto cuts a solitary figure in Japan's NHK Broadcast Center’s 509 Studio as he performs some of his greatest works on a piano. It may be a much quieter affair compared to farewell arena shows or tours, but Ryuichi Sakamoto | Opus is a fitting finale for the Japanese maestro.

Filmed over seven days just months before Sakamoto's passing in March 2023, Ryuichi Sakamoto | Opus was intended by the composer and pianist to be a means of recording and preserving his performances for future audiences.

Akin to a retrospective, the film, which is presented in black and white, captures key chapters in his decades-spanning career — from his run with The Yellow Magic Orchestra to his musical contributions to films such as The Last Emperor and Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence.

Credit: 2022 KAB Inc.

When you consider the circumstances around which the film was made, it is hard not to think of the final product you see on screen as a huge miracle. Sakamoto, who announced that he had Stage 4 cancer in 2022, shared that performing for the film was physically demanding and that he felt "utterly hollow" after the job was done. He also revealed that he felt the project's effects on his health for a month after its completion. 

The exertion that Sakamoto spoke of is apparent in the film, in which his laboured breaths are picked up by the microphones placed around his piano. There is also a shot of him appearing to be in some discomfort as he holds his head after performing a piece and a part of the film where he requests to take a break due to overexertion. 

Credit: 2022 KAB Inc.

Watching the Academy Award winner perform in such a state is heartbreaking, but Sakamoto never seems interested in self-pity, and instead chooses to remain focused on completing his 20-song set. This is best demonstrated when he utters the film's first words after a period with only music to ask if he can redo a song. 

Director Neo Sora — who is the son of Sakamoto — and Director of Photography Bill Kirstein do a terrific job of painting an intimate portrait of Sakamoto, capturing who he was both as a person and an artist with gentleness and sensitivity. Using gradual movements of the production's three 4K cameras, the two bring us into the mind of Sakamoto in a non-intrusive manner that respects the space the musician is working in.

Credit: 2022 KAB Inc.

Sora and Kirstein also call attention to Sakamoto's deep love for his craft by directing us to his emotion-filled eyes, little smiles of satisfaction, and precise pressing of the piano keys. Through close-up shots of these, we see a man face his mortality the only way he knows how to do so — by turning to music.

Bar some moments of discomfort like the ones mentioned earlier, Sakamoto comes across as an individual at peace as he feels each note he plays. Music may merely be a means of escape or a profession to some, but as the film shows, it was so much more than those things for Sakamoto — it was his life.

Credit: 2022 KAB Inc.

Sure, Sakamoto's isolation in this film may be due to the lack of any other option during its filming since his condition made it impossible for him to stage live concerts and go on tour. But it also allows us to see Sakamoto have a private last dance with music. You see, Ryuichi Sakamoto | Opus  is as much its star's parting gift to his fans as it is his farewell to his craft. 

Credit: 2022 KAB Inc.

By the time the film's credits roll, it is hard not to feel that you have just experienced something much more than a typical concert film. Ryuichi Sakamoto | Opus is an exploration of the power of music and the human spirit that uses one of the greatest musicians this world has seen as a compelling case study. And as the film's moving closing moments cleverly tell us, Sakamoto may no longer be with us, but his art will always be. 

Ryuichi Sakamoto | Opus opens at Singapore's The Projector on 28 March. More information is available here.

Watch the trailer for the film here: