Jumpei Matsumoto’s heartbreaking and luminous film about the struggle of a deaf-blind man and his resilient mother

Japanese filmmaker Jumpei Matsumoto looks back on the incredible journey of Satoshi Fukushima who, supported by a courageous mother, became the first deaf-blind person in the world to become a university professor. Heartbreaking.

The original and poetic title Sakura iro no Kaze ga Saku (The breeze of cherry blossoms blooms) perhaps pays more homage to the work of Jumpei Matsumoto than the more sober French one Satoshi, name of the central character, Satoshi Fukushima, who inspired this almost two-hour feature film. In Japanese this means “The wind and the smell of flowers can be felt without depending on sight or hearing.” The first half hour is a free dive into an ocean of suffering. Few moments of breathing. The story is true, it is that of Satoshi Fukushima. He lost his right eye at the age of 3 and became completely blind at the age of 9.

“There is no one in the world to fix me?”

Jumpei Matsumoto’s subjective camera is impressive in its modesty and finesse. She follows the mother and son in their fight, in their discouragements and doubts, but also in moments of joy. The light becomes dark or, on the contrary, bright. The mother, played with tact and subtlety by Koyuki, has experienced many moments of dejection and rupture. Little Satoshi too was very close to giving up on himself many times. Before giving meaning to his suffering. So mother and son support each other. “I have ears, I will get through this”, he assures his mother, worried about his future. Except that his life changed a second time at the age of 18 when he completely lost his hearing. Satoshi is the story of a close relationship between a mother and her son who decide to face adversity together.

Taketo Tanaka, the rising star of Japanese cinema, embodies his character to perfection, right down to his gestures. He is this blind and deaf boy who dreams of normality and who rebels against destiny. He does not get angry at the fate that befalls him. He feels like his efforts will never be enough. “God will not give you more than you can handle. I hate it”. However, Satoshi learned to overcome his pain at a young age. “He gets injections every day, yet he keeps making jokes.” testifies his mother.