🎬 #119 Outsider Japanese Cinema.
Both films this week deal with characters in Japanese society that feel like they’re on the periphery - misunderstood. They’re many different things to many different people. Just like all of us, in some way.
Happy choosing, happy viewing
Bry
FILM ONE: MISHIMA: A LIFE IN FOUR CHAPTERS
1985 Dir Paul Schrader
2hrs
Paul Schrader’s theatrical interpretation of the famous author’s life, feels like it’s a departure for him, until you realise that it’s about a lone man rising up against the system. It’s just wrapped up in more abstract settings and production design, all representative of the chapters of his life. All of which are inspired by works that he wrote during those periods. It’s biography and art mingled, intertwined into something larger and more impactful than a typical biopic.
It’s a striking film - bold, colourful, painful. An abstract telling of a man’s life that’s just as dramatic as the events that inspired the film. I went in cold to see it at a local cinema, and afterwards I wondered how I’d never even heard of the man at the centre of it all.
It’s interesting that it took an outsider, Schrader, to tell a very Japanese story. Probably because Mishima still remains a controversial figure in modern Japan.
TL;DR: Schrader’s film marries life and art together into a fictional yet intimate, larger than life portrait.
*Available for a small rental fee on Apple, Amazon and Criterion in the US, sadly unavailable in the UK, but a VPN will come in handy.
Fact: The ‘creaky metal door’ sound effect that debuted in this film was originally recorded the year previously at Skywalker Sound. The sound (like the Wilhelm Scream) has gone on to feature in 100’s of films, tv shows and games. Whenever a metal door is opened, it’s most likely this sound effect you hear.
FILM TWO: MONSTER
2023 Dir Kore-eda Hirokazu
2hr 7 mins
Kore-eda Hirokazu‘a film is one of those films that wrenches the tears out of your eyes. So come prepared with tissues or sunglasses or both. I had to tilt my head back to a dramatic new angle to keep the liquid just at the brim of my lids.
Luckily it was windy as a cycled my bike back home, so could mask my emotions with the excuse of ‘sensitive eyes and a harsh breeze.’ Not that anyone needs an excuse to let their emotions run free during or after a film.
Viewers might make comparisons with Rashomon - the Kurosawa film that tells the same event from a variety of different character’s perspectives. The drama in that film hinges around these different interpretations but in Kore-eda’s it’s the emotional revelation that holds all the power. The mystery of a child’s inner world and friendship misinterpreted and miscommunicated by the adults, until it’s almost too late. It’s a touching portrait of a magical time of life, handled with adeptness and sensitivity.
TL;DR: A life-affirming film for the beginning of Summer.
*Available for a small rental fee on Apple, Amazon, Google and YouTube in the US but sadly not in the UK. You might still catch it in cinemas or use a VPN.
Fact: Once Kore-eda had cast his leading children, he worked with them for six months prior to principle photography to make sure they formed a real bond.