Mariko Tsutsui, one of the most celebrated actors of her generation, embodies every character through meticulous preparation in the film Dawn Chorus. She began her film and television career in the mid-1990s, accumulating hundreds of credits. Her international breakthrough came with Koji Fukada's 2016 dysfunctional family drama Harmonium.
Mariko Tsutsui, 65, began her film and television career in the mid-1990s and has since accumulated hundreds of credits, establishing herself as one of the most celebrated actors of her generation. Her international breakthrough came in Koji Fukada's 2016 dysfunctional family drama Harmonium, where she portrayed a fervently religious woman in a troubled marriage who becomes dangerously attracted to her husband's ex-con friend, played with queasy menace by Tadanobu Asano. The film won the jury prize in the Un Certain Regard section of the Cannes Film Festival, and Tsutsui received a best actress prize at the Mainichi Film Awards among other acting accolades.
In the years since, Tsutsui has garnered more honors, including an Asian Film Awards best actress nomination for her role in Fukada's 2019 drama A Girl Missing, where she played a woman subjected to trial by media after allegedly aiding a kidnapper. As the actor in Dawn Chorus directed by Yoshinori Sato, Tsutsui inhabits her characters through meticulous preparation, highlighting the power of quiet roles.