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Review
by
Kevin Ma: |
Like several other
reviewers on the Internet have done, I sought out
a copy of This World of Ours by Ryo Nakajima
after it won three awards at the Pia Film Festival,
long considered as a launching pad for successful
young Japanese directors such as Lee Sang-Il (Hula
Girl) and Yoshimitsu Morita (Lost Paradise,
the latest Sanjuro remake). Nakajima started
the script when he was a 19-year old hikikomori,
isolating himself in his own room for over six months.
The result of those beginnings is an intense and personal
work of great impact that may not be everyone's cup
of tea. But those who take a look are guaranteed to
be rewarded.
The film features three somewhat-connected
narratives involving three characters: Ryo (Satoshi
Okutsu), a bully who hits an emotional rock bottom
when his victim decides to fight back; Hiroki (Yoshihiko
Taniguchi), a college student who talks about changing
the world despite struggling to conform to society
and those around him; and Ami (Arisa Hata), an isolated
girl possessing a secret who enters the lives of these
two characters as an instigator and potential victim.
As the film progresses, they become outcasts in a
society that forces them to play along, pushing them
against one another, until a final climax that is
not unlike the film's opening shot: a blurry shot
of New York City's World Trade Center engulfed in
flames. As ambiguous as it seems, the film's episodic
and interconnecting narratives sometimes defy structured
prose. At least I can guarantee that it's clearer
when seeing the film.
In e-mail correspondences,
Nakajima said to me that one of the jury members at
Pia criticized his film for lacking any "human love".
That is true in some ways, considering that This
World of Ours doesn't tell a story that can be
easily absorbed. However, "lacking human love" is
a bit unfair, as Nakajima tells his story with a sense
of passion for both the film and its characters. Nakajima
deals with tough issues - self-mutilation, gang rape,
bullying, and even terrorism. As a result, traditional
"love" may be a little hard to find, but it's there
in rough and tough form.
Stylistically, the writer/director/editor
juggles his stories with a surreal realism that is
reminiscent of Shunji Iwai. Despite being a feature
film by someone that is only in his mid-twenties,
the film possesses subject matter that is handled
with surprising maturity and complexity - though the
monologues get a little heavy-handed at times. Like
many young directors, Nakajima's visual style sometimes
overwhelms, with the canted angle being used constantly
throughout, and the third act possessing uneven pacing.
However, those techniques may have been a way to mask
various production limitations. Nevertheless, the
director creates a film that feels and plays like
a personal urban epic, despite a running time of barely
90 minutes.
The film is shorter than
an Adam Sandler comedy, but This World of Ours
packs a ton of serious themes into its running time.
Before the film turns into yet another statement on
high school bullying in the first 10 minutes, it thankfully
takes an unexpected turn in a different direction,
as the film's actual narrative begins to move away
from the conventions of a typical "social message"
film. The world of Nakajima's film is ugly, filled
with unexpected dangers and few people to root for,
including its protagonists. This makes the film hard
to become involved in at first, but as the main conflicts
begin to show their form, so do the characters' appeal.
They end up doing destructive things to themselves
and others over the course of the story, but Nakajima
never portrays his three protagonists as helpless
victims, but rather as people who struggle against
society without achieving much success. That inability
to take control of their lives eventually brings us
to their side.
While other reviews on the
Internet have used a string of verbal diarrhea to
try and deconstruct the film and its themes, I feel
it's unwise to do that here, as some films are best
left to the audience's own interpretation. This
World of Ours has a very simple message, that
teenage life sucks in many ways, but it tells it in
a complex and often uncomfortable way. Not everyone
can handle this film, but those who do take the chance
will experience one of the most exciting debuts from
an Asian filmmaker this year. With the recent news
that Nakajima has been hired by a major Japanese production
company, I hope that he produces a softer mainstream
film, allowing more more people to discover his talents.
On the other hand, I don't want him to lose the unflinching
edge that makes This World of Ours such a standout
film. As demanding as it sounds, I hope he can find
a balance between mainstream and edgy, independent
sensibilities with his next film. (Kevin Ma 2007)
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