Tuesday, June 15, 2004
A Japanese Story
Last night I went to the same Odeon Cinema in London that I twice went to last year. I saw the movie A Japanese Story, which can best be described, perhaps, as the cultural inverse of Lost in Translation.
The setting is the OUTBACK MAAAATE! Sandy is a geologist in her late 30s, played by Toni Collette. At first she seemed an odd actress for this role, because initially you don't find her very beautiful [Collette was the mother in The Sixth Sense, or the mother in About A Boy (the gawky one)]. Her entire company is owned by the Japanese, and the son of the owner is coming to town to tour the mines. The son is Tachibana Hiromitsu, played by a lesser known Japanese bloke (Gotaro Tsunashima).
The two do not hit it off at the start, Hiro finding Sandy to be loud and annoying, and Sandy finding Hiro to be uptight and well, weird... (did you know that in business, the Japanese exchange business cards when they greet and bow?). Sandy doesn't know any Japanese, but Hiro knows enough English to communicate, although he often prefers not to.
Hiro really enjoys Australia, because it is the exact opposite of Japan in terms of population density. He loves the outback, and implores Sandy to take him further. When they get stuck out in the arid desert, 40 kilometers from civilization, the movie takes a turn from the "awkward buddy" movie it initially appears to be. As the two eventually warm up to each other, Sandy grows more beautiful, even if she is a little dominating.
Later on in the movie, a sudden, drastic turn is taken that jars the audience, and brings a whole new meaning to the title. Sandy learns, and adapts, if roughly, to each new situation.
It's quite a beautiful film, one I'd recommend. **** 1/2 stars.
