introduction 
Story
"Sumida-san" (Mr. Sumida)is a disabled man who enjoys an easy life. One day, a student care giver named Nobuko visited him to collects materials for her thesis. Sumida-san feels affection towards her. He invites her to a live concert of his care giver friend, Take. Despite the hidden yearning of Sumida-san, Nobuko and Take naturally get to establish close ties. With a terrible emotional conflict, Sumida-san commits...

Director
SHIBATA Go
Born in Yokohama in 1975. Started shooting 8mm films in high-school age. Majored in Imaging Art at Osaka University of Arts. Involved with film making projects like "Kichiku" (97) by KUMAKIRI Kazuyoshi and "Decaying Woman"(97) by YAMASHIT Nobuhiro. His first short film "ALL YOU CAN EAT" was shown at in Montreal. His first 16mm film "NN-891102" (99) was shown at Rotterdam Film Festival in 2000. This "Late Bloomer" is his second feature film.

"Late Bloomer" is the second feature film of SHIBATA Go, a talented director, who graduated from Osaka University of Arts and attracts increasing attention today. Also famous for cultivating unique and talented directors like KUMAKIRI Kazuyoshi and YAMASHITA Nobuhiro. In his first feature "NN-891102", he focused attention on a man who was obsessed by the idea of re-creating the roar of Atomic bombs. After an absence of 4 years, he returns to the screen to powerful visualize a unique and original conception : a relationship between a disabled man and his care givers. The film meaningfully confronts the sexual conflicts of disabled persons. The striking portrayal of the main character SUMIDA Masakiyo is awe-inspiring.

2005.1.28 update