Premiering next month in the New Visions section at the SXSW Film Festival, Junya Sakino‘s Sake-Bomb takes the old road trip formula and adds in some extra-special ingredients – like unrequited love, mismatched family members, and cultural clashes. And you thought simply traveling to Disneyland with your family in a minivan was tough, amirite?
The film centers on young Sebastian, “a bitter, self-hating wannabe Internet star from Los Angeles” (which is, incidentally, my favorite character description of the year so far), who has just been dropped by his lady love. He’s soon joined by his quiet Japanese cousin, Naoto, who needs Sebastian’s help to find his own ex-girlfriend in Northern California. Cue road trip, misunderstanding, and probably more than one breakdown (and not just of the vehicular variety).
Sake-Bomb will have its world premiere at SXSW on Friday, March 8, with three additional screenings to follow later in the festival. Until then, enjoy our exclusive poster from the film, featuring both Sebastian and Naoto looking none too pleased with each other. Ah, family.