Kokuhaku - Confessions

2010 by Tetsuya Nakashima - Japaneese movie

Seldom will this happen to me. I watch a movie and I am quite impressed. I do not have any questions about the brilliance of the movie. But I am not yet quite clear about certain aspects. I would want to watch that movie once again immediately. Normally I am so concentrated watching a movie, so I still do not understand why and how this happens, some times. May be my IQ is so low or what. anyways.

A grieving mother, who lost her very young daughter, is in her class room. She announces that she knows the two students who are responsible for the death of her daughter. She definitely has revenge in her mind, which she announces to the class. 

Frankly, a movie cannot be more different from this. The movie progress through many confessions, including the teacher, and it is simply brilliant. It is absolutely a brilliant movie.

However, I do have some doubts, which I am sure is not the problem of the movie, but mine that I got confused between two names. Of course, even those two main children, their faces looks very similar for me, I am confused. So I really am going to watch this once again as early as possible.

But anybody reading this, be assured, this movie is bloody brilliant. It can be very disturbing and it is really a kind of dark movie, even if it is all about the revenge of a mother. I would say, it is a must watch that except for some factors, this movie has elements which are universally valid and important.

And the cinematography is too brilliant. And I cant help wonder, how all these teenage students managed to give this kind of a performance on such a complex plot. Asbolutely brilliant. 

2LDK

2003 by Yukihiko Tsutsumi - Japanese

At times we come across movies which are quite strange but brilliant. We would find it difficult to agree with the plot or the characters but we would strongly feel that the movie is brilliant. It could be quite opposite too, we would find everything adorable, but would not want to say this is a great movie. 2LDK is one such movie in which there are many factors on which I want to disagree, but there is no question on the fact that it is simply a unique and brilliant piece of cinema.

Two aspiring actors are sharing a flat. Both have been shortlisted for the role of a wife, after the audition and are awaiting the final call. Both have quite different backgrounds and characters, that petty feminine disagreements and jealousy brings out their envy out and turns into a ridiculous fight. 

There are only 2 characters here. One a city bred, brand user and spend thrift, the other from a rural region amused by the lack of 'life' in Tokyo. Looks like the agency who is conducting the auditions put them up in this luxurious flat, which makes the village girl feel a little bit alien. The first half of the movie when both these girls spend their time together, doing evening chores, talking to each other is brilliant. For every dialogue of one girl, we have this dialogue from the other girl, which is like her mind speak. That was extra ordinarily brilliant. It felt nearly like a case study of 2 females, about their jealousy, envy, meanness and everything. Then shortly they start fighting and it really gets physical and will shock us.

This second half is stunning. Even if it is not a sudden change, how they get physical, when they start getting physical it is almost like rude shock and before we realise it, it gets really bad. For me, it felt like the plot was intended to have this violence and hence it turned so. Especially the village girl getting violent and destroying things, which she quite knew for whcih they might be accountable for, was a bit over board. But still its beautifully shot and we would want to forget such questions.

Excellent performances by both these actors and this is clearly a directors movie. This movie was shot as a challenge to complete a movie within a week, with only 2 characters ending up in violence with at least one dead. If not for this challenge, I doubt if anybody can imagine this kind of a plot.

While watching the movie there were few moments I thought, this is clearly the heights of imagination.

2LDK in Japanese refers to a 2 bed room apartment with kitchen. 

Jisatsu Sakuru - Suicide Circle

2002 by Sion Sono - Japaneese

The synopsis of this movie was quite strange and unique that I didnt had to think twice before my decision to watch it. But there is a kind of scary feeling, an unbelievable shock which cannot be explained, as we watch this movie.

A large group of school girls, jump in front of an approaching train and commit suicide. More suicides occur and the detectives are clueless about what is happening. 

This movie is surealistic, spectacular, chilling but yet can leave us terribly confused. It does create lot of questions about the suicides around, but there are no answers at all. There are more suicides and again there are more, and there are some side stories as well, but at the end we do not have a clue about what and how. At least for me, that is the case. If anybody know otherwise, I would be really grateful to know the truth behind this plot.

Forget about the answers behind the suicides or the motivation behind some killer group and also ignore some really bloody gory scenes, this is still an excellent cinematic experience. There are wonderful moments, both terrifying and touching, in this movie which actually tells a lot about the director. For eg, there is a scene of a group of school students jumping out of their school building killing themselves. Three are left behind and they too follow in spite of requests by teachers and friends from the back. Then there is this scene of a girl friend lying down on the chalk marks (of the dead body of her killed boy friend) which was really touching and beautiful.

But I would still say at the end of the movie I was quite confused and was still trying to find out the truth. In that way it was a bit disappointing. But there is no question about the uniqueness of this movie. Of course, there was Fight Club, which was world famous, but this is quite in a different level than Fight Club. The only reason, why this movie is not famous around could be, that it is from Asia.

Suicidal rate in Japan was quite high actually. So there is definitely some reason behind this plot, though it might look exaggerated or fanatasical for an outsider. I would really like to talk with some Japaneese people about this movie. So I would rather not want to judge this movie as good or bad. There is definitely something cultural in this movie, the knowledge of which would help one understand it better. Let me just leave it as quite an intriguing experience, about which I would really like to know more.

Tsubaki Sanjuro

1962 by Akiro Kurosawa

Samurai movies are always nice to watch and when it is from the eternal maestro, then it is a real treat. This was my second watch of Sanjuro, but it is still fresh and great.

Nine young samurais want to act against corruption in their clan. Walks in a wandering Ronin, who over heard them, and puts some sense into their thoughts and leads them in the right path, helping them to save their Chamberlain. 

This could be one of the most light hearted movie from the maestro. There are lots of light fun spread across the movie through the inexperienced samurais, the wife and daughter of the Chamberlian and of course through the strange and ill behaved Ronin, ie Sanjuro. For many young samurai's Sanjuro is ill behaved and behaves very unlikely for an aged Samurai. And the moments between these Samurais offer quite a good time for the viewer, simple but nice. Enters the two woman and the fun takes a very different and delicate turn, quite feminine. A very nice contrast in fact, during the whole operation to rescue the Chamberlain, from the male and female view points, offers not just fun but some delightful insights too.

It is the character of the Ronin, wonderfully played by Mifune, a favourite of Kurosawa, who form the back bone and leads the movie to its brilliant climax. Sanjuro and Hanbei, his real opponent, meets in the beginning, but their duel doesnt happen until the end of the movie, and what a brilliant scene it is. They both had respects to each other and Sanjuro really wanted to avoid this fight, as he considered both of them like 'good swords which should remain in their sheaths' (one of the insightful comment from the ladies), but Hanbei insists and this fight, which is over in a second, is really brilliant. It could even be seen as the highlight of this movie.

Toshiro Mifune steals the show among the actors. Wonderful cinematography too.

May be the best entertainer from the Maestro. 

Gohatto - Taboo

1999 by Nagisa Oshima

It is very rarely that you watch a movie which have as the centre of plot, something that we do not like to be part of or even detest a lot, but still gets stunningly impressed by the whole movie. Homo sexuality is something that I cannot bear, though I understand and recognise that their feelings are part of nature too and I would always consider their rights to existence as important as mine. When I picked Gohatto dvd, I never thought I was going to experience some thing quite extra ordinary in cinema.

150 years ago in Japan, a recruitment for Samurais' is taking place in a Shinsengumi, a fuedal police force. Only two are chosen, Kano and Tashiro. Kano is the best warrior but he is charming and attractive and lot of samurais in the camp, including high officers fall for his beauty. There is a sea of suspicion and it is not sure who has fallen for him, who wishes to and who already have slept with him. At the same time, there are murders occuring too. 

Firstly, I never expected homo sexuality amongst a group of professional warriers, a group of men who could be termed the heights of Japaneese Machismo. Kano himself is the best warrior but when fighting against Tashiro, he is just ordinary as it is Tashiro who was the first to fall for him and who took punishment for him. There are lots of Taboos in the camp, but the intrusion of homo sexuality is left unchecked.

As one without much knowledge about Japaneese culture, this movie is not an easy movie to digest, especially since the sub titles didnt look perfect. But going after what we get to see, Gohatto is definitely a master piece. Everything is told in a subtle and restricted way that there is elegance all around. There is nothing happening in the action sense, but the whole plot is intriguing with full of surprise and suspense. We could still find ways and ways to explore more into the story and scenes.

I am still not sure if I understood the climax fully. Definitely this movie requires a second watch and I am afraid I will get too fond about this movie with each watch. There is a kind of subtle elegance written all through out the movie. And if ever we could call cinematography to be elegant, here is a prime contender. In fact the setting of the movie, the military camp, is devoid of colour. But what a work it is!! Brilliant use of lights and colours to go with the mood and in fact there is bare minimum movement from the camera. I wish Malayalam movie makers and reviewers watch this movie. It is important for all to see what exactly cinematography can do to a movie. Truly elegant work.

Still I must say, even if it is visually stunning and powerful by plot, the movie is still kind of cold. It is not going to touch us emotionally. I think that is what it is intended to be.

Furyo Anego Den: Inochika Ocho - Female boss - Ocho Inochika

1973 by Norifumi Suzuki

Ocho witnesses her father getting killed, as a very young girl. The only way to recognise the killers are three cards similar to the tattoos on the back of the three killers. Ocho grows up as a skilled gambler, pick pocketer and swords woman. As per her promise to a dying gambler to save his sister from a brothel, she arrives into the region where the 3 killers reign in. Therein its all about her revenge.

Watching this movie, I was thinking how this movie was similar to many so called revenge movies of Hindi, Tamill and Malayalam in the early 80's. Japaneese movies were infamous for their so called Pinky violence of the 70's. This one is a master piece of that genre. Lots of nudity and fights. Thats it. May be the film has past its time, but for me it was not a good watch.

I will still have to talk about the high light of this film, Ocho walks out of her bath tub, completely nude, and fights a group of killers. This scene was incredible. I have never seen anything like that. Its not about just the central fighter being nude, its about the overall picturisation and the final impression this scene creates on us.  The camera doesnt shy away from the nude woman initially but towards the end of the fight it just follows only her legs and it was excellent how the fight ends. Also about the actress Reiko Ike. Salutes to her. That was a terrific effort. She is so bold to have done that nude fight. I cannot imagine how she managed it, being nude amongst so many men, all well dressed.

This movie is popular as Sex and Fury in the west. 

Jusan nin no Shikaku - 13 Assassins

2010 by Takashi Miike

Year 1844. The Samurai era is coming to an end. The Shogun's younger brother Lord Naritsugu is an out of this world sadist who rapes and kills just for pleasure. A government official commits suicide in protest on the news of his latest drama and an influential Govt. official, Sir Doi feels it is time to act. He asks a former Samurai officer Shinzaemon to assassinate Lord Naritsugu for the social cause. Shinzaemon makes a team of excellent samurais which itself is not an easy procedure and finally settles for a team of 12 inlcuding himself. They decide to attack Naritsugu and his entourage enroute his journey to home land. A chief Samurai officer, who had earlier worked under Shinzaemon has doubts about the conspiracy and he strengthens the security for the Lord. Shinzaemon and his team is joined by another man in the forest who makes the total of 13. Naritsugu and his entourage is cleverly trapped in a village and in the following battle almost everybody is killed, inlcuding 12 samurais.

For people like me, who watch a Japaneese movie occassionally, initially it felt like this is another Seven Samurais , but actually this movie is a remake of a 60's movie, which was inspired by the Seven Samurais. I havent seen the 60's version, but this is a very good movie.

The movie starts with a low pace, detailing some of the cruelties of Naritsugu. The scene where a woman whose limbs and toungue were cut off by the Lord, is presented to motivate Shinzaemon to accept the job was brilliant and touching. Finally here is a villain in all sense of that word, if given a chance even the audience would jump up and kill. From there on the script and director really make us crave for a win for the Samurais and keep us anticipating till the battle scene. The final battle is excellent, if not brilliant, except for a couple of shots where the CG, may be the only time it was done for the whole battle, looked quite mediocre. Having said that this is one of the best battle scenes we have seen, beautifully captured. Other than the martial art powers of the Samurais we would also appreciate their intelligence.

The movie is beautifully shot and I have to specify the quality of the sound recording in this one. Brilliant.

All the actors did very well but a few did stand out. First of all the actor who played Lord Naritsagu. Then the chief Samurai officer to the Lord.  Quite a different role here as he himselves is convinced abou the cruelty of Nartisugu but as a true Samurai he has to protect his Lord though and would give his life for a man who is not worth living.

There is a Ronin in the group of 13 Samurais who is shown as a master of sword work and who is capable of killing a very very large number of people. In the final battle, there is one particular scene where he is beautifully picturised as doing what is expected of him. May be scenes or shots were edited out as I thought this character was not really used. His role in the battle was a kind of diminished one.

This is a work from a director who was famous for his horror kind of movies, but I am sure he must have impressed a lot of critics with this classic entertainer.