Tuesday, September 20, 2005
Japanese Story
Linda and I watched Japanese Story a few days ago, a gift from a friend. I really enjoyed it and have been thinking about it thus.
I appreciate that about half of the film deals explicitly with death and grief, rather than heading for a quick finish. In this way it reminds me of some great works -- the gospel narratives are in my mind after this morning's lecture. The writer and characters of Japanese Story give realistic and all-to-human reactions which I found both enjoyable and a disturbing.
Not a work of genius but certainly worth a watch.
a) Toni Collette is a good actress. Better than I previously gave her credit for.Or is it simply a judgement story?
b) The filmography was mainly standard, but sometimes quite creative. I especially liked the adaptation of the Vertigo technique to a van driving down an interminable desert road.
c) I think it's a metaphor for Japan, or at least Japanese business travellers. I haven't quite figured it out yet, but it has something to do with naievite, freedom from restraint and the consequences of combining the two.
d) It deals simplistically with cultural differences but wasn't clumsy enough to upset my viewing.
I appreciate that about half of the film deals explicitly with death and grief, rather than heading for a quick finish. In this way it reminds me of some great works -- the gospel narratives are in my mind after this morning's lecture. The writer and characters of Japanese Story give realistic and all-to-human reactions which I found both enjoyable and a disturbing.
Not a work of genius but certainly worth a watch.
Craig (mars-hill) Tuesday, September 20, 2005
