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Line Synopsis:
Connected via an online message board, a Japanese woman and an American man take a short trip from Tokyo to the Chiba coast to carry out plans to end their lives together.

Synopsis:
“The Car Horns of Chiba” tells a brief story of a Japanese woman, Masumi, and an American man, Brian, who meet onllne via a suicide message board and plan to end their lives together. They travel from Tokyo’s Shinjuku station to the Chiba coast and thereafter drive to an abandoned water park. Brian gets cold feet and at the last second, decides to not go through with it; but for Masumi— is it too late? Did Brian go too far? This short film ends on a provocative note. The film was inspired by the disturbing reality of group suicides within cars in the Chiba countryside of Japan.

Director’s Statement:
This short film is based on a short story I wrote after watching a documentary called, “The Bridge,” as well as, after reading an article in, “The Atlantic,” titled, “Let’s Die Together.” The original story was a romance and was titled, “Masumi and Brian,” and was set in Tokyo, Japan. I traveled to Japan to shoot the film with the aim of casting and crewing once I arrived. The first person I met was Raymond Philip who was a writer; and since he had been living in Japan for 13 years, I asked him whether he would be interested in adapting the story to a screenplay (I was concerned that the story would have little connection to Japanese culture). Raymond not only adapted the story to be authentic with Japanese culture, but was able to focus the story on the existential issues of suicide. Oliver Martin and Akiko Beracha, the stars of the film, were real Godsends. In a short time, they took on these very heavy and subtle characters and performed them with such effortlessness.

Gallery:

Film Credits: IMDb Page
Directed and Original Short Story by Shane D Rymer
Screenplay and Produced by Raymond Philip

Cast:
Oliver Martin as Brian
Akiko Beracha as Masumi

Crew:
Editing, Cinematography and Music by Shane D Rymer
Art Direction by Raymond Philip

Special Thanks:
Krishna Govinda, Cindy Chasse, Blake Chasse, Jane Klein, Seena Hassouna, Michael Johnson, Kenneth Wajda, Stephen Kowal, and Sarah Jannerbo.

Detailed Information:
Official Title: The Car Horns of Chiba (Les Claxons de Chiba)
Running Time: 9:13 mins.
Shot on Location in: Japan- Tokyo, Chiba and Namekawa Island
Post-Production: USA
Premiere Screening: New Filmmakers NYC: Feb. 14th, 2010 @Anthology Film Archives
Copyright: ©2009 Shane D Rymer