BJFF 2016: Shady

Shady a Japanese thriller released in Japan in 2012 and then by Third Window the following year in the UK. This was a welcomed addition to the Brick Lane Japanese Film Festival. A 93 minute story of bullying in Japanese schools where the treatment gets so out of hand that school children take justice into their own hands.

Kumada (meaning Bear and Rice Paddy) played by Mimpib is the overweight student in her classed bullied by the popular girls and nicked name 'Pooh'. She witnesses bullying in her class but does not intervene to avoid herself being caught in the cross fire. Eventually one girl goes missing and her case becomes high priority in the news and also a mystery at school. Who kidnapped her? A teacher, a fellow student? Is she still Alive? these are all questions running in Pooh's mind.

You eventually realise that the girl who has gone missing was also a bully who had made other girls lives hell including pretty loner Izumi. Strangely she is given a hard time for being attractive the opposite of Pooh. Izumi reaches out a hand of friendship to Pooh and they become close friends. Pooh finds it hard to believe how kind Izumi is and despite neglecting to help Izumi in the past when she was being bullied.

You begin to feel uneasy by this instant clinginess to Pooh by Izumi and she even follows her to her only club which is the biology club where she is the only member. Izumi envy's the love Pooh has for her class fish and mysteriously the fish dies. Izumi says it was a accident but who can really be sure? Was this a malicious attatck as Pooh formed an attachment to a fish, no a male fish?

At a shopping trip Izumi treats Pooh to some mascara which Pooh refutes as it was stolen and she makes advances on her. This left the audience confused, what was it Izumi wanted from Pooh? Or was she securing Pooh's loyalty by doing pleasurable things as a form or bribery. Nothing is clear and the plot thickens when Izumi see's Pooh has a bird as a pet, a male bird, Izumi demands to borrow Chuta the bird and Pooh is alarmed and at first refuses but is emotionally blackmailed into agreeing. The next day Izumi makes a joke abou the bento she has made Pooh saying it used to Chirp and immediately Pooh believes she is eating her pet Chuta. At this point you would think Pooh would end the friendship but somehow Izumi talks her way out of it. Mean while there is a lot of emphasis towards the missing classmate and the bullying at school.

One thing leads to another and things suddenly move fast paced, Izumi invites her to her flat, different from her house, their is a horrific stench coming from one of the rooms. They are also joined by another guest, one their their school teachers who Izumi explains is giving her test questions in exchange for sex. Things start to make more sense, perhaps the bully at school was horrible but she wasn't the one who dissapeared the other girl, Izumi so tramatised from the bullying has snapped and done one terrible thing after another...to a point of no return. The end result is only bloodshed.

Written and directed by Ryohei Watanabe he focuses on inner torment inside human beings and how innocence can be polluted and turned into manipulation and selfish gain. We see the change physically manifest in Izumi through her eyes becoming blood shot and the mirrors smashing as she puts on her 'facade' aka the stolen makeup.

This film explores bullying as a real phsycological experience which is shown as more harmful than physical fighting. Similar to the film Confessions this film really looks at taboo subjects and exposes the Japanese education systems flaws. No one see's the bullying nor goes to investigate the disappearance. There is a sense of negligence.

Overall the film was slow paced which built up to a swift conclusion, every detail mattered so you really had to focus on the film. It didn't feel long at all, the animal torture aspect is shown to be an outlet for students in a few films I have seen so far which is perfectly disturbing signs of a psychopath. Even though it was low budget and you only see a small cast set in a school, it is perfectly directed. Pooh has many opportunities to seek help but feels trapped in an open world. A great physiological thriller to be appreciated , you will enjoy this if you liked the Audition.

Showed at Brick Lane Japanese Film Festival with permission of Third Window Films. Available to buy online.

It Only Happens in the Movies? Japanese Cinema and Encounters: All About Our House

Have you ever wondered the complications of owning your own house in Japan? Well this film explores BUILDING your own house and all the processes to get to living in your own dream home. Part of the Japan Foundation's Touring Film festival: It Only Happens in the Movies? Japanese Cinema and Encounters - All About Our House - written and directed by Koki Mitani (The Uchoten Hotel, Once In a Blue Moon).

We follow the married couple Naosuke (Naoki Tanaka) and Tamiko (Akiko Yagi) who decide to build a new house from scratch instead of renting (society norm), recruiting a trendy young interior designer, Mr Yanagisawa, to plan, and Tamiko’s retired-carpenter father to build. However, not too long there is a culture clash between the innovative ideas vs the sturdiness of the house foundations and the plans of there 'contemporary' house has now become rather traditional instead. The project begins to move from their and Mr Yanagisawa dream home to Tamiko's fathers last project doing as he pleases and poo pooing any new ideas.

It's great seeing the team of builders a bunch of elderly men working together with such vigour and joy and doing a great job to ignore the Naosuke's. The best argument that is underlined through the whole film is that of the front door opening out or in. Out is a sign of American architecture but the builders want a traditional Japanese house. This is almost the deciding factor of Mr Yanagisawa quitting.

It shows two sides of the coin and should promote compromise or a fusion of two styles but doesn't the father is set on his ways and despite his daughter not wanting a tatmi (Japanese room) he makes sure to make the room double the original quoted size to spite her. It is funny watching the quarrels but there isn't much development.

I liked the holy rituals to purify the land and to bless the house as it gives an insight into Jpanese tradition and culture. All in all the house is finally built, the foundation is sturdy and has a little artistic flair including some rare bamboo tiles that Mr Yanagisawa suggests and actually impresses the builders.

Catch the cinema on the big screen in Edinburgh Filmhouse and Nottingham Broadway in March.

It Only Happens in The Movies? Japanese Cinema and Encounters: Blood and Bones

Blood and Bones also known as Chi to Hone in Japanese is directed by Yōichi Sai and starring actor/comedian/singer Takeshi Kitano (who also starred in Canadian movie  Johnny Mnemonic as well as Japanese productions). It is based on the semi-autobiographical novel 'Chi to Hone' by Zainichi Korean author Yan Sogiru (Yang Seok-il).

Released in Japan 2004, it was chosen to be shown as part of the Japan Foundation's It Only Happens in The Movies? Japanese Cinema and Encounters touring film festival now. The film was nominated for 12 Japanese Academy Awards and won four, including Best Actress, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Screenplay.

Set in the 1923, the story is narrated by son Masao who describes his father's journey from Korea to Japan.  A young Kim Shun-Pei moves from Cheju Island (South Korea), to Osaka (Japan). This isn't an easy transition due to war between the country and despite fighting brothers in arms there is still a lot of hatred between the Japanese and Koreans.

We watch the cruel misdeeds of Kim abusing his wife and children throughout the film. This leads to an inner greed as the violent man decides to destroy a house to make it into a fish cake factory and forces his family to help in slave labouring for him. Even though this provided jobs for the poor Korean-Japanese community he exploits his employees and punishes them for revolts.

He makes a fortune, then takes a mistress and continues to mistreat his former family whenever he is stressed. He shows respect to no one. Later he closes the factory when business declines, becoming a money lender now with help from his mistress becomes a successful loan shark. His evil personality does not change towards even his brother or family. After his mistress develops a brain tumour he shows some human compassion and takes care of her and takes on a maid to look after her full time.

This turns out to be a new mistress as he wants another heir to his wealth. Through much raping he has many illegitimate children who all eventually leaves him. Eventually his daughter marries a man she doesn't love to escape his abuse and she ends up in an abusive marriage. Sadly she seeks advice from her brother Masao who recommends she leave her husband or quit  moaning. Sadly she commits suicide leaving the husband quite happy. This affects Kim who beats up everyone at the funeral.

At this point he is losing his physical strength and mind, he carries on his mean life even after he kills his terminally ill mistress ad the second mistress leaves him. He seeks consolation from his wife who he left for dead after she developed cancer, she recoils and dies eventually too.

After all his mean-ness he kidnaps his illegitimate son, makes him stay with him to his bitter demise and leaves his fortune to Korea.

I left the cinema screening feeling sad as no one got a happy ending. Masao moves away and only the uncle and his wife survive. the poetic cousin moves back to Korea and is never heard from again. Great acting from the cast especially Beat Takeshi. Catch the film as it tours the uk : http://www.jpf-film.org.uk/

It Only Happens in the Movies? Japanese Cinema and Encounters: A Bolt from the Blue

A time travelling magician? A great addition to the Japan foundation's touring film festival at the ICA London.

A Bolt from the Blue also known as Seiten no hekireki was a hit in Japan from 2014 due to being directed by a famous comedian, Hitori Gekidan. Based on Hitori’s own novel, it was a huge box office success in Japan. However there us more to the movie than meets the eye.

A movie following a dead beat magician with the skill but nothing to motivate him. Begrudging his parents for all his failures he lives by himself after leaving his dad after college. Resentful about his mother leaving him, he watches younger magicians get fame for his tricks.

One day after his flat is flooded he receives a call that his father is dead. He goes to the place where his body is found and discovers he had been homeless and living in a cardboard hut. In the hut he finds a photo of his father holding him as a baby, then like magic a both of lightening hits him and he is taken back in time to the year 1973.

Asakusa is the a place to launch stage performers and with help from a kid he is accepted as a trainee magician. It is here where he crosses paths with his young father to be.

With all the indications of his fathers faults and his birth nearing - will he find out the truth about his mother? Will he carry on to live life so bitterly. A great film to take inspiration from. Shape your life as you want do not run away and make excuses.

Buy tickets to the next showing (Jan 30-March 2015): https://www.ica.org.uk/whats-on/seasons/japan-foundation-touring-film-programme

Red Light Revolution Review

My friend Ronnie un suspectingly in front of the raunchy poster :D

(Chinese film with English subtitles at Prince Charles Cinema in West-end, London)

One of the perks of joining so many groups on Facebook is that the active ones ACTUALLY send notifications of events regularly. Courtesy of the Korean fan club and Third Windows films I found out there was a showing of Red Light Revolution at the Prince Charles Cinema (PCC) in the West-end.

This was a chance to check out the PCC as I had never been before and to my surprise, through the small entrance, the downstairs held a large waiting area and bar. Upon entering the room I was amazed to find a decently sized screen and comfy squishy seats (oh yes these things definitely add to MY experience).

I knew the film was a saucy comedy already focusing on the sex industry of China, as much as it was taboo, everyone was a apart of it, you just didn’t know they had a dildo in their briefcases ^^; The main character though easy manipulated by others, is a very likeable character and you enjoyed what downfalls awaited poor Shunzi  (Jun Zhao).

We follow Shunzi after he loses his job and wife and by randomly bumping into an old friend he is thrust into the money making world of the sex trade along with his new friend and partner in crime Lili (Vivid Wang and yes that is her real name!)

Director and Writer Sam Voutas (also cameo’s in movie as sex guru Jack Deroux) wanted to explore a subject that most Chinese Directors shy away from and flaunts the notion with parady and the utmost of seriousness at times too.

A truly enjoyable movie (with not a lot of smut actually despite the name), a journey to make money; please the pushy parents and having fun with your friends. Best part is i saw it with my friend Ronnie who isn't accustomed to such kinky display, she even liked it (she won't admit it out loud but I saw her laugh ;).