Endless Waltz

This is a biographical film about Takashi Wakamatsu. The protagonist of this biography is Japanese free jazz saxophonist Kaoru Abe, who may be most widely connected to the general public through his cousin Kyu Sakamoto (whose representative work 'Sukiyaki' is the only Japanese song that has topped the Billboard charts). Even within the music circle, his explosive musical style and temperament have kept many musicians at bay, with significant collaborations limited to a few, such as Masayuki Takayanagi, Motoharu Yoshizawa, and Yoshimaru Toyazumi, most of his works are solo albums. The film's theme revolves around the relationship between him and his wife, Izumi Suzuki. The first shot shows her preparing to hang herself. From their first meeting in a bar to dating, getting married, having children, and eventually, Kaoru Abe's drug overdose (or suicide), leading to the funeral, and back to the first shot... it tells a complete story. The director focuses on the interaction between their relationship and Kaoru Abe's music. From the passionate romance at the beginning, to endless arguments, fights, intimacy, reconciliation after marriage, brief moments of peace and warmth after the child's birth, followed by chaos, suspicion, indifference, mental breakdowns, departures, returns, and ultimately, death. Corresponding to this are interspersed saxophone practice and live performances, transitioning from an initially incredibly fast and explosive style to a later phase with a hint of introspection, and ultimately to a warm yet desperate lament...