Ryuichi Sakamoto: Coda
MUBI | Release Date: July 6, 2018 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
78
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 13 Critic Reviews
Positive:
11
Mixed:
2
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
San Francisco ChronicleG. Allen JohnsonJul 27, 2018
Not only a portrait of a great artist, but a sensitive and engrossing depiction of the act of creation and its process. Read full review
100
The TelegraphRobbie CollinJul 5, 2018
As music documentaries go, it’s one of the quietest you’ll see – but it’ll be ringing in my soul for a long while yet. Read full review
90
The New York TimesBen KenigsbergJul 5, 2018
The creative process is notoriously difficult to capture on camera, but by the end of this documentary, you will feel as if you not only understand Mr. Sakamoto intellectually, but also share a sense of the excitement he feels when discovering just the right match of sounds. Read full review
88
Chicago TribuneMichael PhillipsJul 26, 2018
The movie sidesteps the conventional breadth of a documentary subject’s resume. We learn nothing about Sakamoto’s early years, and little about his private life. Yet simply by lingering with his pensive, compelling subject at the keyboard, or engaging Sakamoto (discreetly) in his thoughts on his life and his music, Schible casts a spell and captures the spirit of a uniquely gifted composer. Read full review
80
Little White LiesLillian CrawfordDec 29, 2021
By exploring his passions and drives, Schible has given meaning beyond the surface to Sakamoto’s music. It makes for fascinating viewing, and even more beautiful listening. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesMichael RechtshaffenJul 12, 2018
In interposing haunting footage of the destructive wake of the Fukushima tragedy with Sakamoto’s evident, childlike delight in coming up with the perfect tonal combinations, the film serves as a stirringly poetic meditation on the pursuit of creation in the face of mortality. Read full review
80
Village VoiceBilge EbiriJul 5, 2018
Director Stephen Nomura Schible’s understated and moving Coda does a fine job of presenting the composer’s remarkable career as a revelatory journey. Read full review
80
The Hollywood ReporterDavid RooneyJun 28, 2018
This is a gentle, reflective portrait that seldom gets personal and yet somehow feels quite candid. Read full review
80
New York Magazine (Vulture)Emily YoshidaJun 28, 2018
With a light touch but deep reserves of respect for fans both old and new Ryuichi Sakamoto: Coda is an extremely fitting portrait of the influential composer. There’s an air of patience that presides over director Stephen Schible’s footage, even during a period that presents a lot of tumultuous questions for his seemingly unflappable subject. Read full review
75
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Brad WheelerAug 2, 2018
It is a heartfelt mediation on the creative process, with elegantly presented ideas on nature, music, mortality and things out of tune. Read full review
70
VarietyDennis HarveyJul 19, 2018
It’s a handsomely crafted portrait overall, yet one whose middleweight content flatters the subject without ultimately quite doing him justice. Read full review
60
The GuardianPeter BradshawJun 28, 2018
Stephen Schible’s documentary portrait follows the musician in the calm and introspective period forced on him – but it also shows him participating in post-Fukushima demonstrations. Read full review
50
Austin ChronicleMarjorie BaumgartenAug 15, 2018
Instead of aiming for biographical overview, this film strives to capture a sense of what makes Sakamoto’s music tick. (Hint: It’s not a metronome, but rather, the sounds of nature.) Read full review
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