REVIEWS
"At first glance a portrait of [Takesue's] grandfather, a Japanese immigrant living in Hawaii for over 90 years, 95 and 6 to Go is also a broader consideration of an immigrant's experience, a study of loss and resilience, a celebration of poetry and philosophy in everyday life."
"Kimi Takesue’s documentary '95 and 6 to Go' is the home movie as subtle, multi-layered, self-reflexive work of art."
"An intensely moving, affectionate and at times humorous depiction of a remarkable man all filmed through a lens of kindness and love."
“Stunning and profound, offering delicate reflections on life and cinema.”
-Apolline Caron-Ottavi, The Montreal Gazette
"A funny, imaginative and warm film about the close relationship – and creative collaboration! – between grandfather and grandchild... Shot over six years in Honolulu, the irreversible passage of time remains a motif on the fringes of its images. Takesue's film is a personal 'home movie' of the rare kind."
4 stars out of 5!
"95 AND 6 TO GO is a touching portrayal of Tom Takesue, an American-Japanese widower whose own life stories are uncovered as he takes on the role of un-official script supervisor to his granddaughter’s stalled feature film project... Tom Takesue is every-man, every-woman and for that, the audience will be pleased that the director convinced her once very private grandfather, that he should become the subject of a movie. "
“An intimate approach to beautiful old age. With patience & an attentive camera that follows the daily routines of an old man, the documentary elaborates on and interweaves the present and the past of an ordinary man who proves to be exceptional.”
-Natalia Trzenko, La Nacion, Argentina
"The film is in many ways a mutually somber homecoming; the proverbial return to care for one’s elders becomes an active accounting of the past and provokes an unforeseen source of humble creativity."
“95 AND 6 TO GO gently explores the complexities of a man who has avoided both inspection and introspection his whole life… Among other things, the film explores the ethics of intensely intimate filmmaking.”
-Patricia Auferheide, International Documentary Association
"[An] extraordinary personal documentary...95 AND 6 TO GO is as light as a Nat King Cole song, but just as open to universes of feeling and memory... 95 AND 6 TO GO is a winner."
-Brian Hu, San Diego Asian Film Festival
RECOMMENDED BY PICTUREHOUSE THEATERS - UK:
"... the true value of Kimi’s film is how evocative it is of our own memories of family relationships. And what’s more, how incredible that feeling of cross-generational affirmation is, when you sit down with someone who has lived a different life at a different time and still get each other. Whether you have those memories of your own grandparents or not, for 95 mins, Grandpa Tom becomes the perfect surrogate – you’ll wish it was longer."
-Kristy Jones, PICTUREHOUSE CINEMAS, London, UK
“Takesue finds in the editing room an absolutely personal and intimate story that, with flashes of humanity, finds a universal resonance."
-Diego Brodersen, Página 12, Argentina
"A beautiful, luminous and melancholic record, which shows the traces left by people on their way through life."
-Maria Paula Rios, Fandango.lat, Argentina
4 stars out of 5
“95 AND 6 TO GO is a gem at the festival this year, thanks to an emotional climax that works to perfection. Recommended for those looking to see something new on the big screen.”
-Toma5 Magazine, Argentina
"95 AND 6 TO GO is that rarity: a film that makes you want to be better, do better. Be aware of mortality approaching so that you can be present to the experiences of those further down the path than you are."
-Sheila O’Malley, RogerEbert.com