Ryuichi Sakamoto | Opus

If you’ve got no truck with a film featuring little else but a man at his piano, then think again.

13-14 Aug

$19 - $180
The Civic

Words by Whānau Mārama: New Zealand International Film Festival
Last updated 05 Nov 2025

Filmed just months before Sakamoto’s death at 72, Opus is both a moving performance by a dying man and a chance for the composer to delve into the finely nuanced notes of a lifetime’s work; a one-time-only gift to fans that conveys the depth of emotion in a body of work that prizes Satie-esque gestures of minimalism and perfectly rendered, heartbreaking melodies over the electro-pop he played with the Yellow Magic Orchestra.

Helmed by Sakamoto’s son, Neo Sora, and filmed in black and white, there’s an unexpected drama to the performance as Sakamoto occasionally gets it wrong or, exhausted, announces a brief pause to proceedings. Featuring pieces that cover the gamut of his 50-year career including fresh readings of YMO classics “Tong Poo” and “Happy Ending” and several of his unforgettable soundtracks – including themes from Nagisa Ōshima’s Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence (1983) and Bernardo Bertolucci’s The Last Emperor (1987) and The Sheltering Sky (1990) – this stark but intensely intimate film is a tender, brave and honest intermingling of art as life and, inevitably, a rumination on mortality. — Gary Steel

Location

Te wāhi

The Civic

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Local tip

He tīwhiri mō te rohe

Head to Stark’s Café and Bar for a pre-show cocktail, beer or wine. It opens 90 minutes before any show or event at The Civic.

Getting there

Te huarahi ki reira

By car, head to The Civic car park near Queen Street where you’ll find plenty of affordable paid parking. By train, head to Britomart Station and walk up Queen Street for around 10 minutes to reach The Civic. Alternatively, take a bus to the Queen Street or Wellesley Street bus stops, which are both within a short walking distance.