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Film: The Bird People In China
Release date: 3rd October 2005
Certificate: 15
Running time: 118 mins
Director: Takashi Miike
Starring: Masahiro Motoki, Renji Ishibashi, Mako, Li Li Wang, Tomohiko Okuda
Genre: Adventure/Comedy/Drama/Fantasy
Studio: Siren
Format: DVD
Country: Japan
A change of tact for one of the most outlandish film makers Japan has to offer, who has become infamous to western audiences for extreme horror and crime shockers such as Audition and Ichi The Killer.
The story takes us along a journey with Mr Wada (Masahiro Motoki), our businessman, sent as a late replacement for a sick colleague on a trip to the mountains of China in search of a very rich vein of the precious jewel, Jade. Along for the ride is Mr Ujiie (Renji Ishibashi), a Yakuza gangster, whose boss has sent him to verify the jewel claim, their interest laying in the unpaid debts by Mr Wada's firm. Both are sold on the idea by their respective employers, on the promise of authentic Chinese cuisine.
From their first, unspoken meeting on a train, to their shared, diabolical van ride (wherein the passenger door falls off), it is clear that the gangster is unhappy to be on the trip. Their guide, Mr Shen (Mako), takes the entire trip in his stride, having made the journey countless times and seeing little to be concerned with, despite the impending storms and torrential rain.
As the three continue via converted tractor vans, rickety bridges and turtle powered rafts; they finally reach their destination and begin to swiftly form a bond with the villagers…
Takashi Miike has taken the opportunity with this feature to delve into the lighter side of Asian cinema (a little off the beaten track from his usual psychopath and sociopathic characters). If you are a fan or even a vague viewer of Japanese cinema, you won't have failed to catch a glimpse of this director’s aforementioned more recent films. The Bird People Of China, however, is the breakthrough 1998 film that made Miikes' progression possible.
The title of the film gives the impression that you might be entering a world of fantasy, and, in a way, that’s an accurate assumption. Wada and Ujiie are stranded, following their guide’s bout of amnesia, and, as such, are free to explore and live the lifestyles of the villagers. While enjoying this new found existence, they witness the children of the bird school breaking in their new ‘wings’, and discover the upright, tail end of a WWII aeroplane nose planted in a lake.
Mr Wada meets the teacher of the Bird School, Miss Si-chang (Li Li Wang), and spares little time in finding reason to be curious about her and the school, documenting her singing via a tape recorder. The men decide to query the little hamlet and investigate what keeps the inhabitants where they are, but also why they may be willing to give it all up so freely.
The cinematography tells the story as much as the script, not hard given the picturesque and startlingly colourful landscape - mountains that touch the clouds and valleys that travel for hundreds of miles litter this feature. Possibly the most endearing and entertaining image throughout the film is found when Mr Wada, holding a pink umbrella, comes across Mr Ujiie (not the best of friends, given a swift beating earlier in the film) mid bowel movement, and he is ordered to keep the rain off his head while he finishes.
Music and song are provided in the form of village woodwind instruments and the stylings of actress Li Li Wang, which further deepen the viewer’s isolation within this environment.
The underlining subject of seclusion and technological alienation is played out throughout the film, with little shown of the big bad world there yonder. It's the struggle between accepting your place in the world and carving a new path that tortures our characters most, trapped in an existence they aren’t fully understanding of, they find their new lives free of expectation and judgement.
The Bird People In China is a detailed and thoughtful film that crosses a wide variety of genres with real ease. Its stylized/iconic shots detract from any other world and fully immerse the viewer in a land of escape and idealism.
Performances from the two leads are deft, subtle and warming throughout – and it's hard not to appreciate a film with lines such as, “This is Yun Nan and my butt is sore. Now behind a thin wall a Yakuza is taking a shower. I must sleep with him in the same room.”
Takashi Miike, despite his obvious talents, provides only what is needed to a script which is laden with suggestion and clear joy. Reigning in his penchant for violence, he shows another facet to his filmmaking abilities, and perhaps delivers a career high. DWI
Film: Departures
Release date: 10th May 2010
Certificate: 12
Running time: 205 mins
Director: Yojiro Takita
Starring: Masahiro Motoki, Tsutomu Yamazaki, Ryoko Hirosue
Genre: Drama
Studio: Arrow
Format: DVD & Blu-ray
Country: Japan
Amongst numerous domestic and international awards, Departures became the first ever Japanese Oscar-winner, picking up the coveted Foreign Language Academy Award in a year that saw stiff competition from the likes of Waltz With Bashir.
Daigo Kobayashi (Masahiro Motoki ) is a professional cello player of a prestigious Tokyo orchestra. After a successful concert, he receives unexpected and terrible news - the orchestra is closing down. Daigo is suddenly left without and a job and still has to pay back what he owes for the cello, which has cost him a fortune. Together with his wife Mika (Kazuko Yoshiyuki), he decides to go back to Yamagata, the small town in the countryside where he was born.
Trying to put the pieces back together, Daigo answers a vague ad in the newspaper and gets a job in a company which provides an unusual service: the so-called casketing, or the rite of the encoffinment, which prepares the deceased to leave this world, and to ensure a peaceful departure.
Apart from the new job that is asking so much, being back in the old town brings back a life of memories - the childhood spent without a father, who left when Daigo was only a child, still haunts his thoughts. There is where everything started: the cello, the music, but also the sadness and the loneliness.
As the weeks go by, Daigo starts to understand new realities about his job, and becomes a skilled professional. The people who call him appreciate what he does, and are thankful. Those around him do not think the same way, though, and he has to face the stigma that such a profession carries, with his friends and his wife…
Departures is a telling story. The film is designed in a smart way, and efficiently runs the different threads of the plot. It is not easy to deal with deep topics, such as those portrayed here, without being too cold or too moving, but the director ensures the right amount of subtleness and touch. The director used a very fine scale, balancing emotions and feelings to create a cinematic ladder, which the audience climbs together with the main character.
Masahiro Motoki is perfect in the lead role, and gives the exact amount of introspection to his role. In this unusual drama, where the leading feelings are uncertainty and loneliness, but also social stigma and rejection, it is crucial for the main actor to be able to balance these very subtle sensations when it comes to acting.
This characteristic is visible in many a scene throughout the narration. Every night, when Daigo goes back home after work, we have a vignette of insight - he puts on a face when he talks about ‘the job’ with his wife, with whom he has been deceitful (he fears she would not understand, because he himself does not understand).
The casketing job, and the funeral business as a whole, still carry the heavy burden of misconception and social shame. In this sense, what separates Japan from other countries is that it hasn’t lost its meaningful links with the ancient traditions and the culture of the past. In contrast to the technological progress and the globalisation, Japan still looks back at its unique cultural roots, to learn from them, and to go forward. This evergreen cultural base enables director Takita to create a deep and moving piece, from a very simple storyline.
The setting and the soundtrack assist in smoothing and tightening the whole story. The opening camera-shots, driven by the majestic Beethoven’s 9th symphony, give a powerful start, and go well with the indoor camera shots of the over-crowded Tokyo. Afterwards, when Daigo moves to Yamagata, the leading motive becomes the unique melancholic melody produced by his cello. The music fits well with the beautiful landscape of mighty Japanenese mountains that surround the small town, and underlines the time passing by, and the growth of the protagonist. Here, the music is not only used as background, but is itself storytelling - fundamental to the narration.
Departures tells the audience that everyone has a path to follow in life and a role to fulfil, something that is special and made just for them. Finding direction requires strength and courage to evaluate what we have, and acknowledge what we did wrong. The turning point is then to be brave enough to go back and start again, this time on the right path (no matter how bizarre it might seem).
With subtle direction and a standout lead performance, Depatures is a dramatic painting of the surprising directions life can take. Profound and enjoyable. DG
