TAKES ON TOKYO. Tokyo!, directed by Michel Gondry, Leos Carax, and
Joon-ho Bong, is a trio of short films — (clockwise from top left)
Interior Design, Shaking Tokyo, and Merde — set in Tokyo.
The films examine the nature of the city as it’s shaped by the disparate
people who live, work, and run amok inside the enormous, constantly
evolving, densely populated Japanese megalopolis. (Photos courtesy of
Liberation Entertainment)
From The Asian Reporter, V19, #29 (July 28, 2009), page 11.
Three unique, inventive film directors tackle Tokyo and loneliness
Tokyo!
Directed by Michel Gondry, Leos Carax, and Joon-ho Bong
Produced by Masa Sawada and Michiko Yoshitake
Distributed by Liberation Entertainment
DVD, 112 minutes, $24.95
By Toni Tabora-Roberts
Tokyo! is an omnibus film project including the work of directors
Michel Gondry, Leos Carax, and Joon-ho Bong. All three directors are known
for their inventive, artistic filmmaking perspectives, making Tokyo!
an interesting, visually exciting, and sometimes challenging trio of films.
Along with their unique techniques and use of Tokyo as the central location,
the three films also share themes of loneliness, longing, and struggles
coping with contemporary human existence.
Interior Design
The first film is Michel Gondry’s Interior Design. The French film
and music video director is probably best known for his Academy
Award-winning film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. As with
Eternal Sunshine and most of his work, Interior Design employs
the use of unusual surrealist imagery and fantastical elements.
The story follows young, hip Hiroko. She and her experimental filmmaker
boyfriend Akira have just moved to Tokyo. While Akira is passionately
focused on his art and even his menial day job, it’s clear Hiroko is
directionless and unhappy. Akira implies that she lacks ambition, to which
Hiroko unconvincingly retorts, "I like photography and art, I’ve got a
boating license, and I read a lot, too." As they go through the trials of
establishing themselves in a new city, Hiroko ends up taking an unusual path
to finding her place in the world.
Though the first half of Interior Design is a bit slow going, it’s
ultimately a whimsical and satisfying story about discovering passion and
purpose.
Merde
The middle film, Merde, is by Leos Carax, a well-regarded but
sparsely producing French director. Carax has made only four feature films
in his 25-year career, and his latest, Pola X, was released a decade
ago. Merde translates to "sh*t" in French, and here it’s absurdly
revealed to be the name of the unusual creature at the center of the film.
Of the three shorts, Carax’s farce is probably the most bizarre and
disturbing. It feels the most like an art film.
We first meet Merde as he rises from the sewer through a manhole. He is a
strange sight to behold, with a dirty, ill-fitting green suit, one milky
eye, a twisted red beard, and long, curly fingernails and toenails.
"Creature of the sewer," as he’s dubbed by straight-faced news anchors,
Merde seems part caveman, part monster, part leprechaun, part elf. And he’s
not friendly, violently eating flowers and money and licking innocent
bystanders as he stomps down busy Tokyo sidewalks.
Eventually, Merde is labelled a terrorist and put on trial for the
destruction he’s caused. A French lawyer named Mr. Voland, who seems to be a
clean and functional cousin to Merde (with the same milky eye and red
beard), claims to be the only person who can communicate with the strange
creature. Voland becomes Merde’s defense lawyer in the nationally televised,
wildly sensational trial.
Merde packs quite a lot in a short time. The film cleverly (and, at
times, tediously) hints at issues such as immigration, terrorism, and media
saturation.
Shaking Tokyo
Rounding out Tokyo! is South Korean director Joon-ho Bong’s
Shaking Tokyo. Bong’s breakthrough film was the international box-office
hit Memories of Murder, about the first serial murders on record in
Korea. Most recently he directed the hit monster movie The Host.
The unnamed male protagonist (The Man) of Shaking Tokyo reveals in
voiceover that he is hikikomori — the Japanese term describing
individuals who completely withdraw from society, choosing to never leave
home.
The phenomenon in Japan usually occurs with teenage boys who might not
leave their parents’ home for years. The Man, then, is not quite typical, as
he is grown and lives alone. He is, however, still supported by his parents
financially, allowing him to do virtually everything by phone and delivery.
The Man’s home is pristine and orderly, with wall-to-wall neatly stacked
books, toilet paper rolls, and empty pizza boxes. It’s been more than 10
years since he’s had direct eye contact with anyone, not even the delivery
people who come to his door.
One day, the Pizza Girl compels The Man to look at her. At that moment,
an earthquake hits and the Pizza Girl falls into a coma on his floor. This
one event turns the hikikomori’s tidy, routine life into chaos.
Shaking Tokyo is a slick, methodical, and strange adventure. Bong
creates a world infused with quiet fear and isolation.
Tokyo! is an engaging, provocative, and quirky delicacy of film.
Given that they were created separately, the three films work together
surprisingly well. The DVD is a nice treat, especially for an art house trio
of films with established, notable directors. Special features include
behind-the-scenes documentaries of each film, a photo gallery, and the
original Tokyo! trailer, in addition to interviews with the directors
and collaborators.
Tokyo! is now available on DVD. To learn more, visit
<www.tokyothemovie.com>.
|