Recently seen movies #165

Love Exposure (Japan, 2008) – 5/5

Director Sion Sono is probably best known for his cult hit Suicide Club (2001). This beautiful yet disturbingly graphic satire used the horror genre as its playground and painted an image of hectic modern Japan where popular culture and the societal demands could even make suicide fashion. The semi-sequel Noriko’s Dinner Table (2005) dropped horror from the mix, and delivered a 2½ hour dive into the mind of a teenager desperately looking for her identity. Sono’s new film, 237 minute Love Exposure, is logical continuation to the director’s earlier works. It’s also one of the most massive and best movies of the decade.

The primary theme in Love Exposure is religion. The main character, Yu Honda, excellently played by Takahiro Nishijima from the pop-band AAA, is a teenager living in a deeply Catholic family. There are two important women in Yu’s life; his saint-like mother, and Virgin Mary. As a child Yu promises his mother to find his own Mary when he grows up and start a family. After the mother’s death Yu’s father (Atsuro Watabe) becomes a priest, but ultimately descends into depression and starts forcing his son into daily confessions. Being an extremely kind and good hearted person, Yu can’t think of any sins he might have committed. This, of course, is considered even a greater sin. To please his dear father Yu even tries to make up sins, but is soon caught lying. The only solution left is to start committing real sins.

Despite this insane and tragicomic religious circle presented in the film, it is not Sono’s intent to entirely bash Christianity. The director respects the origins of the religion – even as much to include the line “Jesus Christ was cooler than Curt Cobain”. The film’s characters – including Yu, who believes he can be a devout Christian by following the norms taught to him, but doesn’t realize religion should come from one’s own heart and be based on one’s own decision – are as much victims as abusers of religious ideals distorted in the course of time. In Sono’s mad world religions are only one part of the twisted system that also includes the pop-culture insanity of Suicide Club, and the murderous identity crisis seen in Noriko’s Dinner Table.

Love Exposure’s 17 year old protagonist finds his sinful calling in tosatsu, upskirt photography. Yu’s new hooligan friends introduce him to tosatsu legend Lloyd (Hiroshi Ohguchi) who accepts Yu has his student. In Japan tosatsu is reality and a somewhat popular underground phenomena. Photos are taken with most inventive techniques, including the cute puppy strategy, where camera is attached to a dog’s collar. When the victim kneels down to caress the innocent dog, a clean view opens for the camera. In Sono’s hands the art of tosatsu is taken far beyond this, and even kung fu techniques are applied to steal a photo. These scenes present some of the most outrageously amusing footage seen on silver screen in the recent years.

Yu’s plan of committing religious sins is a success to the extent of his father losing his temper and hitting Yu. Yu is only glad about this; it’s the most personal reaction in a long time from his father, who now hides under the priest’s gown and treats his own son like a stranger. However, there is another, even more important reason for Yu’s obsession with tosatsu. Yu believes it’s the only way to find Mary, who is hidden somewhere amongst the millions of people of Tokyo. The signal for finding the right person would be a hard on (you read that right) that Yu has never before experienced. Waiting for that day Yu spends his time with his new friends – shoplifters and perverts – who ironically form a more understanding community than Yu’s real family.

Family is a regular theme in Sono’s movies. In Noriko’s Dinner Table a father was desperately trying to track down his runaway daughter, while Strange Circus dealt with incest. Obviously Sono’s family portraits are quite different from those of Japan’s beloved but Sono’s hated filmmaker Yasujiro Ozu. Sono’s has even gone as far to call Ozu an Antichrist. It would seem appropriate to call Sono an Anti-Ozu. However, Sono’s family-hell depictions are not only angst towards the safe and unexciting Japanese cinema traditions, but also, to some extent, based by the director’s own life. This is also true to Love Exposure, which was influenced by the director’s tosatsu loving friend as well as Sono’s own experiences as being a part of a religious cult.

Drawn together from a 370 page screenplay Love Exposure features such a massive amount of story that the plot summary presented in this review is nothing but a brief introduction. What would seem like the beginning of end – with Catholism and tosatsu already thoroughly inspected – turns out to be only the first phase. Many important characters, such Koike (Eiji Okuda’s daughter Sakura Ando), karate skilled Yoko (Hikari Mitsushima), and mysterious Miss Sasori, disguised in black coat and Meiko Kaji hat, have not even made their appearance in the film by this point. It’s only after their introduction, around 58 minutes, when the film’s title screen appears, and the first of the story’s five chapters is brought to a conclusion.

While the storyline unravels with logic, it also manages to be completely unpredictable on its way to the eventual climax. Adjusting to the varying moods of its characters, the film modifies its style and approach several times. Influences have been taken from classic Japanese exploitation films, art house movies, and even Hong Kong action. Due to the long running time this variety is only welcome and does not make the film less coherent. In shorter form the mix would probably become nonsensical, which was also observed by the director when he prepared the producer-pleasing 2 hour test-version. On the other hand, Sono’s first draft ran six hours and was more explicit. In the 4 hour version, which is Sono’s final cut, for example sexual undertones are constantly present, but there are no graphic sex scenes or nudity.

The film’s most problematic part might be, as reversed as it may sound, the sequences around the 60 minute mark. These scenes represent such audio-visual perfection that anything that follows can’t possibly reach the same level. Especially the film’s soundtrack, part of which was created by the punk-pop band Yura Yura Teikoku, deserves recognition. Religious music is also used to a great extent, sometimes even simultaneously with pop songs. Typical to Sono’s movies, there’s a good amount of handheld cinematography , which fits the film’s style well. Still, as a whole Sono’s vision relies more on storyline than technical credits, and this softens the impact when moving on from the wildest parts to more casual storytelling. Nevertheless, the viewer should be prepared for slower pacing and a bit less outrageous plot turns during the film’s second half.

More than anything else Love Exposure is an experience. As such it may be slightly flawed, but it’s also endlessly fascinating and almost certainly different from anything created before in the history of cinema. The extreme length may put off casual viewers, but the film isn’t boring for one second. When the storyline finally wraps up after four hours the viewer can’t help but to wish Sono had depicted the chain of event even a little bit further. What might have happened next is a good topic for discussion after the film, as Love Exposure is sure to remain in the viewers mind for days if not weeks.

Recently seen movies #164

Kimi no tomodachi (Japan, 2008) – 4/5

Ryuichi Hiroki’s career is certainly not one without development. In the 1980’s one could find his name attached to sadistic pink films, sometimes made under the alias Go Ijuin (also used by Genji Nakamura and Hitoshi Ishikawa). Fast forward two decades and Hiroki has become a pioneer in digital filmmaking in Japan. His masterful 2005 film It’s Only Talk is one of the best Japanese movies from the past 10 years. Now Hiroki has made a beautiful movie about friendship between kids. Kimi no tomodachi follows two girls who become friends at the age of 10. The main part of the film takes place 5 years later, the present day being yet another five years later. Both girls are sick or injured; Yuka (Ayu Kitaura) has a kidney disease, and Emi’s (Anna Ishibashi) leg was permanently damaged in a car accident.

While Yuka and Emi are the core of the film, the storyline almost unnoticeably introduces new characters and smaller branches. It’s not obvious from the beginning, but just like these shorter stories that aren’t always brought to a conclusion, the entire film is more about friendship than telling any specific storyline. This structure is one of the aspects that Hiroki handles well in a film that is relatively conventional, but greatly benefits from the director’s touch. Hiroki doesn’t turn the film into a sad sickness story, or the most typical kind of ”memories of the good old days” offering that Japan is so keen on producing nowadays. There are some unsuccessful parts – such as bullying scenes that play out like All About Lily Chou Chou – but the numerous long takes and beautiful digital cinematography create several terrific scenes. In many ways Kimi no tomodachi is reminiscent of Hiroki’s earlier but inferior film Love on Sunday, which also was a very mainstream oriented screenplay seen though Hiroki’s sharp lens. Kimi no tomodachi is a greatly enjoyable film, even if not as good as the director’s best efforts.

Recently seen movies #163

I usually try to review good or at least interesting movies in this blog. But since readers come and go and I can’t expect many people be very familiar with my taste, it’s good to set the standards every now and then. Even if it happens at the expense of polluting my own blog with movies such as Memories of Matsuko…

Memories of Matsuko (Japan, 2006) – 1,5/5

Kamikaze Girls (Shimotsuma monogatari) was a supercharged JP Pop Culture typhoon that hit the target somewhat often – mainly thanks to the screenplay and actress Anna Tsuchiya – but also suffered from director Tetsuya Nakashima “crazy and cool” visual approach that mostly lacked real sense of style. Memories of Matsuko, an instant cult hit and masterpiece apparently, doesn’t fix the predecessor’s problems but emphasizes them. Matsuko’s life is hip beyond belief, and Nakashima’s 130 minute film doesn’t feature a single frame that isn’t digitally over-processed and full of wild details. The director does deserve some credit for his imagination; not everyone can create a mess as versatile as this. There is also a remotely sensical dramatic structure hidden somewhere under the visuals. The middle third of the film features some entertaining musical sequences and there’s a lot of small cameos from Hiroshi Yamamoto to AV star Sora Aoi. If it wasn’t for the unbearable serious ending that goes on forever one might even forget how appalling the film’s first 30 minutes were.

Recently seen movies #158

Charisma (Japan, 1999) – 2/5

A policeman (Koji Yakusho) meets several people in forest, some of them trying to protect an old tree and some of them trying to destroy it. None of them have very clear motives. Director Kurosawa gives little explanations and avoids genre classifications. It works for some time as it challenges the viewer to come up with his own answers. Placing the film almost entirely in the woods also works to the benefit of it as Kurosawa’s forest is not a shiny bamboo collection. The film is endlessly metaphoric – in fact there is very little else, and this is a problem. Charisma is not nearly as much about characters – mainly drawing allegoric caricatures – as it is about different forces affecting the world. But is there any reason to spend over 100 minutes to make dry societal and environmental observations and present them inside a bottle? Kurosawa’s approach is not entirely serious, though. There’s plenty of humour included, which makes makes the film more obviously fun, but doesn’t really improve it. It’s a bit difficult to say exactly how much Kurosawa intended to emphazise the humoristic aspect. Some scenes and characters, such as a senile elderly woman raving in her bed, could be meant as humour, another allegory, or intentional weirdness/originality/pretentiousness, or all that at once.

Recently seen TV shows #7

Sailor Suit and Machine Gun (Japan, 2006) – 2/5

Shinji Somai’s all time great idol film Sailor Suit and Machine Gun (based on Jiro Akagawa’s novel) was followed by two television adaptations, first by Fuji TV in 1982 (with Tomoya Harada in the lead role) and then by TBS in 2006. The new version consists of seven episodes, each running 45 minutes. Masami Nagasawa stars as Izumi, a normal high school put in charge of a 5 man yakuza gang when her father dies and no other blood relatives are found. She tries to keep the men out of trouble while another gang is making attacks against them. This is the basic pattern that is repeated over several episodes to the point of frustration. Visual output is modern and occasionally cartoonish, lacking the merits of the original film adaptation.

The few strengths include some great humour, interesting Asakusa setting, and terrific theme song which of course is a new version of the original theme performed by Hiroko Yakushimaru. Nagasawa fares ok on her own right, especially when wearing glasses, but any comparisons to Yakushimaru would be pointless. The most famous actors appearing in the show are Ken Ogata, whose talent is not utilized, and Kyoko Koizumi, who brings down every scene she’s in. Tsutsumi Shinichi, who plays Sakuma, is luckier. His character is decently written, unlike the other gang members who only exist to bring in cheap drama. It is describing that while in Somai’s film each death became as a surprise, or was revealed to the viewer only afterwards, the new television show builds up for inevitable tragic deaths and spends entire episodes weeping after the fallen friends.

Recently seen movies #154

Early Spring Story (Japan, 1985) – 3,5/5

Shinichiro Sawai had succeful run with the Kadokawa idol genre when he first directed Hiroko Yakushimaru in the award winning Tragedy of W (1984), and then followed it next year with Tomoyo Harada’s Early Spring Story. Harada plays Hitomi, a 17 year old student who develops a crush on a middle aged salesman (Ryuzo Hayashi). Although the romance sounds a bit dubious, and later the screenplay starts resembling a soap opera in some respects, Early Spring Story is actually a very good movie. It lacks sentimentalism, which makes it more interesting than many other human relationship dramas. Harada, who also sings two songs in the film, is very good in her role, creating a character that is likable but also a little bit selfish. She also has some very funny scenes and lines of dialogue (“I think middle aged women are scary”). Hitomi’s father is played by Kunie Tanaka. Most viewers probably remember him from Toei’s yakuza movies, but here he gives a very different kind of performance. Two other supporting players should also be pointed out; the former Nikkatsu erotica queen Junko Miyashita in a very brief role as Hitomi’s mother’s friend, and Nobuko Sendo, just one year before her starring role in the JAC action fest Rebellion League of Girls in Sailor Uniform (1986), as Hitomi’s friend.

Recently seen movies #153

Tragedy of W (Japan, 1984) – 4/5

An important film on super-idol Hiroko Yakushimaru’s career, Tragedy of W earned her the Japanese Academy Award nomination for best actress, serving as an official proof of that she’s more than just a cute face with a phenomenal pop-star “side career”. Tragedy of W, however, is not a very typical idol film. Based on a novel by Shizuko Natsuki, the film is 100% story and character driven. There is no added cuteness factor other than Yakushimaru’s natural beautiful looks. Her role as a young actress who is willing to go to great lengths for fame and success also features bits not usually seen in idol movies. Another interesting aspect is the film’s structure; the theatre play within the film, and the actual storyline slowly start resembling each other. Director Shinichirô Sawai takes use of this and allows the entire film play very theatrical which works especially during the second half.

Recently seen movies #152

Sailor Suit and Machine Gun (Japan, 1981) – 4/5

Probably the most important – and best – idol film of all time, Sailor Suit and Machine Gun was producer Haruki Kadokawa’s final breakthrough in the idol film genre. It was a bit ironic that while the traditional studio loyalty among filmmakers in had come to an end in the late 70’s, only a few years later Kadokawa gained almost exclusive rights to the new generation of idol actresses. Noriko Watanabe, Tomoyo Harada, and most importantly Hiroko Yakushimaru, replaced the great Momoe Yamaguchi who had just retired from show business at the age of 21.

Yakushimaru – commonly know just as Hiroko – and usually referred as super-idol rather than idol, made her cinema debut in 1978 when she was just 13 years old. She played the leading female role in Kadokawa’s slightly megalomaniac modern action film Never Give Up, starring Ken Takura. Yakushimaru’s real breakthrough came in 1981 when she starred in Hausu director Nobuhiko Obayashi’s fantasy film School in the Crosshairs and later the same year in Shinji Somai’s Sailor Suit and Machine Gun.

Somai, sadly ignored in the west, is perhaps the best Japanese director of the 1980’s. His directorial was Tonda Couple (1980), a small drama-comedy starring Hiroki Yakushimaru. Sailor Suit and Machine Gun was Somai’s second film. Yakushimaru plays Izumi Hoshi, a normal high school girl who inherits a small yakuza gang. The leader of the gang had passed away and named his nephew – Izumi’s father – as successor. Unfortunately Izumi’s father dies in a traffic accident before he even dicovers of his new appointment. According to the yakuza code the position now transfers to the only remaining blood relative – Izumi.

On surface Sailor Suit and Machine Gun is a discreet parody of the yakuza film genre. Later in the 80’s idol films and television shows came to lean heavily on action, with Toei’s Sukeban Deka dominating the so called High School Action genre. Sailor Suit and Machine Gun does not follow this formula. Despite the high flying concept Somai is far more interested in characters and quiet little scenes. There are several magnificent moments where all action nearly freezes – including the machine gun finale which is not only very short, but also the only scene where the film’s title becomes reality. The adrenaline seeking Ryuhei Kitamura generation will be severly disappointed and left wondering where all the action is.

The more outrageous moments are in fact one of the the film’s weak points. Somai is not entirely comfortable with a screenplay that features over-the-top supporting characters, such as a maniac drug lord called Fatty (Rentaro Mikuni). Some of the actors, especially Shinpei Hayashiya who plays a member of Izumi’s gang, also play their role in too loud volume which doesn’t go well together with Somai’s perceptive and slightly arthouse-esque directing. Nevertheless, the core idea – a high school girl becoming a yakuza leader – is undeniably very memorable and one of the reasons why the film became so popular.

One of the more suprising and probably confusing to many viewers sequences is a short sex scene between Tsunehiko Watase and Yuki Kazamatsuri. This scene briefly features ”black bar blocking the view” censorship that has accompanied Japanese erotic cinema since the dawn of woman. This scene was most likely intended as a reference to Kazamatsuri’s career; she was a regular actress in Nikkatsu’s pink films in the early 80’s. International audiences have most likely seen her in Tarantino’s Kill Bill Vol. 1, where she appears night club host. Her performance in Sailor Suit and Machine Gun is somewhat adequate, but outshadowed by Yakushimaru and action film veteran Watase.

Director Somai’s most important tool has always been his camera. The director has great skill in planning ane executing long and complicated takes. Although in 1981 Somai’s skills were not yet fully developed, Sailor Suit and Machine Gun features an excessive amount of impressive camerawork. There is a large number of long takes, including a classic sequence that takes the characters from the streets to a shrine and ultimately to the other side of the district riding a motorcycle. This six minute scene was completed without a single edit.

The 17 year old Hiroko Yakushimaru is at her best in Sailor Suit and Machine Gun. Her acting skills improved later – at least in the eyes of critics and the Japanese Academy Award commitee that nominated her as the best actress of the year in 1984 for her role in Tragedy of W – but Yakushimaru’s acting has rarely been as fresh and enjoyable as it is in Sailor Suit and Machine Gun. This film also marked the beginning of her hugely successful pop-star career that produced more than 100 songs. The theme song for Sailor Suit and Machine Gun is among her best. It is heard in the film just before the magnificent final scene, and is followed by one of the most memorable ending lines.

After its hugely successful release in 1981, Kadokawa released a 130 minute ”Complete Version” in 1982. This longer cut installs 18 minutes of additional footage into the film. Some of the additions make the narrative more fluent – and there’s an important scene featuring Hiroko drying her hair – but the Complete Version isn’t really a better movie than the original cut. 130 min is slightly too much for this movie, and there’s a long sequence where Izumi nearly gets raped that feels out of place. Also in 1982 a Sailor Suit and Machine Gun television series was aired on Fuji TV. This series featured the future star Tomoyo Harada in her fist acting role. Incidentally, her next work was a television version of School in the Crosshairs, an adaptation of yet another a Hiroko Yakushimaru movie. Sailor Suir and Machine Gun returned to TV screens one more time in 2006 when TBS broadcast the second small screen adaptation, this time with Masami Nagasawa playing the leading role.

Recently seen movies #151

Custom Made 10.30 (Japan, 2005) – 2/5

What started as a concert document evolved into a feature film during the process. The fictional story follows two sisters (pop star Kaela Kimura and Erika Saimon) who dream of playing in a band. The storyline ultimately takes them to the Hiroshima Stadium, not as performing artists, but to witness rock legend Tamio Okuda’s epic concert. Custom Made 10.30 divides into two uneven parts. The first 80 minutes is miserable, full of dull visual tricks and appalling supporting characters. Susumu Terajima and Shingo Yanagisawa’s every appearance is a nerve wrecking experience. The beautiful Hiroshima landscapes is the only redeeming factor. However, the final 40 minutes is terrific. Most of it consist of Okuda performing several songs live. This footage is not only musically impressive but also visually first grade. Whether it makes the first 2/3 of the film worth enduring is open to discussion.

Recently seen movies #150

Tennen kokekko (Japan, 2007) – 4/5

Nobuhiro Yamashita’s second big mainstream film’s got the most describing English title; A Gentle Breeze in the Village. It’s a visually very beautiful film full of light, colours and green nature (almost an exact opposite from Matsugane ransha jiken which had a cool and blue visual tone). But it’s also Yamashita’s least recognizable film to date. The director’s skill is very much present, but his trademarks are not. The Osaka-era slacker humour and characters are missing, and the film’s beauty is far more traditional. This kind of project could have been handled by any first grade mainstream director. Similarly the screenplay – which was not written by Kosuke Mukai but Aya Watanabe – is a conventional youth story taking place in a small village. It is a ”small and quiet” screenplay, but this type storytelling has become so common in Japanese drama cinema nowadays that it could be labeled as ”arthouse for mainstream audience” or vice versa.

The storyline begins when a new student, Hiromi, (Masaki Okada) arrives from Tokyo to countryside and joins a small school that only has 6 students. The oldest of the kids, Soyo (Kaho) immediately has a crush on him, although his arrogant big city type character comes as a set back. All this leads to a couple of romantic or otherwise unneeded scenes (the festival sequence for example) that don’t really have a place in the film. But such scenes are in the minority, thanfully, and don’t prevent Tennen kokekko from being a highly enjoyable and well acted movie. Yamashita loads the film with tranquil images of school corridors, small roads and nature. There is a short Tokyo segment as well, and interestingly Yamashita shows Tokyo as a bit depressive and threatening place. The director himself has also stated he doesn’t feel entirely comfortable in Tokyo. Also worth a mention is that the ending scene – possibly by a pure chance – reminds of Shinji Somai’s Ohikkoshi (1993).