Maborosi

(the snapshot is not mine, it's from dvdbeaver.com)

Hirokazu Koreeda's Maborosi (1995) is a tale of grief. Yumiko (Makiko Esumi) is happily married to Ikuo (the always-fabulous Tadanobu Asano) and they have a baby. Then Ikuo abruptly commits suicide without any apparent reason. Yumiko's life falls apart as she faces terrible grief when she comes to terms with what has happened, but eventually she marries a single father (Takashi Naitô) who lives on a remote island. The heavy burden caused by her grief hasn't left her alone yet and she wanders in a labyrinth of sorrow throughout the film.

Koreeda's masterful minimalism is already evident in his first major feature. His compositions are precise and captivating; the cinematography is restrained yet beautiful; the film's deliberately calm pacing makes the entire film feel meditative - and that's exactly what the screenplay requires.

In overall, the film is an aching and magnificent study of grief and resurrection. At first I thought it had not affected me as much as I would have liked, but after a while it had lingered long enough in my mind to guarantee itself a place among my favorites.

Score: 10 out of 10

Harakiri

The story of Masaki Kobayashi's Harakiri (1962) is set into motion when a young and poor man (Akira Ishihama) is forced to do what the title suggest: a suicide by disembowelment. Why did it happen? The movie is set in Japan during the year 1630 which is 11 years after a peace was negotiated among the warring clans. This led to the dissolution of the Geishu clan that had at least 12 000 retainers under its control. All these former retainers were forced to live in poverty. As a result, some of the ex-warriors resorted to threatening the remaining clans by performing harakiri in front of the clan's estate. To avoid this, the clan would have to pay a great amount of gold. As you have probably figured out by now, the harakiri at the beginning of the film was the result of things going horribly wrong. A few months later, an older man (Tatsuya Nakadai) comes to the same clan in order to perform harakiri. As the disembowelment approaches, he begins to tell a story that is essential in order to understand the story and thematics.

The film is almost like a deconstruction of the entire Samurai code. Kobayashi observes the (implied) emptiness of the code in cruel detail. The problems are pointed out in an unflinching way. While the film mostly runs at a relatively calm pace, there are outbursts of arrhythmic violence which work perfectly in order to deliver the message even to the most dim-witted viewers - yet surprisingly the film never seems to be heavy-handed. The narrative is quite straightforward: a linear story with a few flashbacks that are smoothly handled.

I found an interesting point of view in another review (specifically, the Finnish review on Elitisti) which pointed out how the young man is "unknowingly the representative of the past" because back then harakiri was a more personal and flexible act. Now it's just another way for higher-ups to control people.

Kobayashi's form in Harakiri reminds me of Yasujiro Ozu and Hsiao-hsien Hou. His camera is set almost on the ground most of the time like in Ozu's films. Kobayashi also likes to revisit a few compositions in order to establish a connection between two scenes - either for an emotional response or for juxtaposition. This is extremely notable during the first 30 minutes when the two ex-warriors enter the estate at different times. A few key compositions are used for both of these entrances. It's also interesting how a few compositions and patterns of camera movement are used again and again during the rest of the film.

Apart from a few awkward camera zooms and pans, the cinematography is brilliant. The precise and beautiful framing rivals even Ozu, which should say a lot. Kobayashi's use of Dutch angles is extremely masterful: I would even dare to say that Harakiri should be used as an example on how you should use them. The film is very silent most of the time - only the dialogue breaks the silence throughout the film. There are a few instances when music is used - and that makes the film even more haunting.

The second view confirmed my assumption: Masaki Kobayashi's Harakiri is one of the greatest cinematic masterpieces without a doubt. Sadly, it has remained quite unknown to this day.

Score: 10 out of 10

Suicide Club

(the picture is not mine, took it from lovehkfilm.com*)

Sion (or Shion, depending on how you romanize his first name) Sono's Suicide Club (2001) is known for causing two disliked things: confusion and controversy. The film opens with a scene involving a mass suicide of 54 schoolgirls, and concludes with a music video starring 12-year-old girls. What happens in between is bizarre and surprising - including a detective story, lots of satiric gore, a creepier version of Alex de Large and a "mass suicide fad".

Sono's social commentary is harsh, provocative but brilliant. Before he made the film, the suicide rates in Japan had risen drastically. Although it is not obvious at first, Sono tries to point out the problems causing the high suicide rate. The flick's social criticism works on a grand scale - it doesnt examine only a small detail or two. The scariest (and probably the most important) aspect of the content is how mass suicides become a trend among the Japanese.

Sono's approach to the subject is peculiar and fascinating. He performs a trick similar to the one Takashi Miike used in Ichi the Killer: making audience think by approaching controversial topics in a blunt and shocking way. The exaggerated, satiric use of blood gives the film a playful tone (if you arent too squeamish).

In the end, the film is Sono's uplifting message to the Japanese: even though it's "scary and hard" (as the last song suggests), you should keep on living and stay true to yourself. The film's surreal plot might be a bit cryptic at first - especially during the last half hour. What makes the film even weirder is that the preteen children of the film deliver the most important and wise statements about self-discovery and perseverance.

Sadly, the film's content is not perfect. Its narrative is clunky and unfocused. The film is frantic in switching between characters and storylines. Because its running time is short (99 mins), this explosive narrative leaves everything a bit underdeveloped - even though it manages to get its message clearly across.

Sono's form is brilliant as well. He proves he can handle camera panning and editing quite well. He doesnt go too wild with the form - I guess this is good because then you can focus on the content.Suicide Club would be a masterpiece if its narrative wasnt so badly structured. Although you should realise that Suicide Club is by no means an easy film to watch or understand because it is far from a straightforward film: you have to be willing to go beyond its superficial level to enjoy it.

Score: 8 out of 10

* = the link to image source: http://www.lovehkfilm.com/panasia/suicide_club.htm