An Ode to the Earthworm (1982)

After appearing in independent films by Matsui Yoshihiko and Ishii Sogo, Sano directed this independent film himself. Although this is his first film as a director, he has already established his own style of acting by playing the role of the main character, a young man with a lonely life and a gun in his hand. The film was selected for the Pia Film Festival in 1983 and was exhibited at the Edinburgh Film Festival, Antwerp Film Festival, and other film festivals overseas. This is the origin of Sano's hard and sad films.