Top Story: 16.April 2006
Spiritual director depicts family trauma and recovery
Everyone has heard of Naomi Kawase - artistic and established director of movies such as Katatsumori, Hotaru and Tsuioku no dansu. Sharasojyu, (aka. Shara) seems to be so far most evolved and intimate production of Kawase. Scenery of Nara is photographed very beautifully. And in the peak of the movie, omatsuri festival and the dance in the rain is perhaps most wonderful ever seen display of Japanese expression of joy and life.
Brother of Shun disappeared ten years ago. Out of blue, nowhere to be found. And he doesn't come back. The movie depicts trauma in Japanese family and the recovery process. Now, the mother, Reiko is expecting a child. And summer festival, omatsuri is coming, who's organizer happens to be father of the family. That's when Shun meets the young girl Yu, who's mother is also involved with omatsuri.
The attention seems naturally turn to Shun. Through his artwork he expresses longing for his long lost brother. He loves Yu silently. Kohei Fukungaga (as Shun) is a wonderful actor. Acting extremely little, he conveys extremely much. It is such a joy to watch his performance. Although Katsuhisa Namase's performance as Taku, the father, was not entirely satisfying, he had his moments too. His speech in the opening procession of the festival is enough to bring tears. The things left unsaid convey most. Between the lines you can feel the existing of Japanese spirit, atmosphere of the people. You can almost feel them breathing.
Naomi Kawase has a talent for acting too as also seen in her earlier films. She is extremely convincing as pregnant mother Reiko. She gives this movie the final realistic feel. This movie perfectly lacks everything unnecessary - decoration or Hollywoodistic unnatural drama.
As famous Japanese psychiatrist Hayao Kawai spoke of the film: "…the movie is wonderful, it makes me be aware of religious feelings of Japanese…" he said and continued,
"People calculate what you can watch with your eyes and touch with your hands, and seek after progress for bigger, higher and faster, an existence that people have lost sight of, in reality the existence is alive within daily life of Japan, this movie let us know that."
"A girl and a boy at puberty and their families, their conversations, indeed, are good. They never talk much, don't look saying anything, but the movie brings word to us that is really deep".
The movie is indeed spiritual and has a documentary feel to it, in similar way as earlier productions of Kawase. A lot of hidden symbolism and deep psychological and philosophical discussion. How Japanese family handle difficult emotions? How can we let the past go and move on to the future?
Since Kawase is a famous from her documentary movies, audience is left wondering how personal these topics are for Kawase herself? Kawase does the impossible thing - photographs the invisible, simple human feeling. Kawase has lost no touch to her documentary style movie making. This movie is almost like a sum of her earlier films.
Cinematography is by Yutaka Yamasaki, who is famous of Daremo Shiranai (aka. nobody knows) (2004) and Kanaria (2005).
