Japan 2021
Director: Shinzo Katayama
Starring: Aoi Itô, Jirô Satô & Hiroya Shimizu
Genre: crime, drama, thriller
The melancholic and broke single father, Satoshi (Jirô Satô), tells his young daughter (Aoi Itô) that he plans to track down a serial killer (Hiroya Shimizu) in order to receive the advertised reward. Whilst Kaede (Aoi Itô) is initially dismissive of her father’s plan, Satoshi then disappears and Kaede, fearing the worst, goes looking for her father assisted by her well-meaning teacher and a male classmate.
Set in a present day depressed neighbourhood in metropolitan Osaka the cinematography and soundtrack is well-crafted and intentional. The realness of the setting; a tidy but dated apartment with functional but old furniture and bedsheets, the absence of Tokyo glitz and the roughness of the low skilled worksite where Satoshi worked, give a sense that the kind and likable Satoshi and his headstrong daughter are battlers barely surviving the drudgery of everyday life. However, as the origins of Satoshi and Kaede’s home life are revealed, the story takes a series of unexpected turns and it quickly develops into a gripping thriller that touches ever so briefly on the complexities of assisted dying, suicide and murder. Just when you think real life problems are being thoughtfully explored it moves to something more dark. Katayama pushes the boundaries but only just too far. Just when you feel that you can manage the darkness, Katayama pushes a little bit more, though not enough for you to call it quits. I’m not well-aquainted with Japanese cinema but I found this a worthwhile challenge. Whilst not initially evident, the viewer warnings of heavy violence and adult themes are warranted. The performances of Aoi Itô, Jirô Satô & Hiroya Shimizu are faultless. Not too heavy in gore, this could be a tough watch for the uninitiated but I am glad that I did.
3.5/5 stars
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