| |
Review by
Calvin
McMillin: |
Directed by Shin Togashi,
Angel's Egg undoubtedly belongs to the ridiculously
popular "pure love" subgenre of romantic movies that
have flooded Asian movie theatres in recent years. As
I've detailed in past reviews, the plots of these films
are rather simple: boy meets girl, love blooms, and
tragedy ensues. The latest tearjerker, Angel's Egg,
does little in the way of genre manipulation or innovation,
although it does have a kind of charm all its own.
Based on the novel by Yuka Muruyama,
this 2006 big screen adaptation centers on a talented
young artist named Ayuta Ipponyari (Hayato Ichihara).
He has big dreams of pursuing a career in art despite
the depressing fact that no one around him - even those
who love him - seems keen on the idea. His faithful
girlfriend Natsuki Saito (Erika Sawajiri) has dreams
of her own, but those mostly involve wedded bliss for
the two of them. It's initially unclear whether Ayuta
shares these ambitions, and their young love is tested
early on in the most surprising of ways.
One fateful day, Ayuta pushes
his way into a crowded subway car. Just as the door
is about to close, a beautiful passenger (Manami Konishi)
attempts to enter as well, and Ayuta makes room for
her to board the train. Not only does he become immediately
smitten by this rare beauty, but he is artistically
inspired by her as well. This gorgeous stranger causes
Ayuta to crack open his sketchbook and get to the business
of drawing. It seems that the lasting image of this
woman becomes his own personal muse.
Presumably, Ayuta believes
he will never see her again, but while visiting his
ailing father in the hospital, he discovers that - lo
and behold -- the woman from the train is not only his
father's new doctor, but (are you ready for this?) Natsuki's
older sister, Haruhi. Despite the eight year distance
in age, the two have an instant chemistry, but once
Ayuta makes his feelings known, Haruhi is resistant.
It turns out she's concerned for the feelings of her
younger sister and she's also some nasty skeletons in
her closet from her previous marriage. Ayuta, however,
isn't discouraged in the least and does his best to
woo Haruhi. But even if (when?) he succeeds, can such
a love even last?
The answer to that question
is actually answered in the initial portions of the
film. Angel's Egg begins with a frame story set
some years after the events I've just described. These
"present-day" sequences are intercut with the main action,
as we meet an older Ayuta who is working not as an artist,
but a common day-laborer. He crosses paths with Natsuki,
who is now a teacher and hasn't herself hasn't gotten
over both her break-up with Ayuta and the presumably
tragic aftermath. Clearly, Haruhi is out of the picture.
Is she dead? Sick? Off with some other man? The film
leaves you in suspense until the very end, although
if you're at all familiar with this genre, her true
fate won't be much of a surprise. But even though the
past and present converge in a way that is supposed
to be uplifting (it caps off with a sequence that is
remarkably similar to that of Heavenly Forest),
in actuality, the momentum pretty much fizzles out the
moment after Haruhi's final fate is revealed. The denouement
isn't the only problematic aspect either, as the actual
circumstances involved in the resolution of Haruhi's
storyline seems rather haphazard and poorly explained,
robbing the film of much of the emotional power it clearly
wants us to experience.
Still, what is perhaps most
refreshing about the Angel's Egg is the fact
that it is not "pure love" in the same chaste sense
asCrying Out Love in the Center of the World,
Heavenly Forest, or Tears for You. The
relationship between Ayuta and Haruhi extends to the
sexual realm, although suitably glossy and softly-lit
as only a love story can be. Still, the fact that the
characters in the film actually act on their own sexual
desires is refreshing considering the more or less puritanical
love stories that I've watched in recent years.
The overtly formulaic nature
of the film means little innovation in terms of storytelling,
and thus relies on the performances of the actors. Hayato
Ichihara, who played another youngster grappling with
coming of age issues in Check it Out Yo! does
an even better job here, once again portraying someone
on the cusp of true maturity. Erika Sawajiri does a
serviceable job as Natsuki, although she isn't helped
by the fact that her character's motivation for pursuing
the older Ayuta seems a lot more like a simple plot
device than it should be. As the woman in the middle,
Manami Konishi is suitably alluring, although probably
not entirely believable as a psychiatrist. Of course,
she is undoubtedly a heterosexual man's dream of what
a doctor should be, both in terms of looks and bedside
manner.
As romantic tearjerkers go,
Angel's Egg is by no means the best of the bunch,
but its likeable cast, attempts at nonlinear narrative,
and slightly more believable attitude towards sex help
make it one of the better films of its ilk. For those
who are tired of the "pure love" formula, Angel's
Egg won't exactly change their opinion. But for
those who have a soft spot for these kinds of heart
wrenching romances, this tale is probably just what
the doctor ordered. (Calvin McMillin, 2007) |
|
