 The final film of Nobuhiko Obayashi takes us on a journey through Japan’s real, and cinematic, history, guided by the poems of Chuya Nakahara. An assortment of characters attend the final screening at a movie theater which is about to close. Among the crowd are Mario (Takuro Atsuki), Shigeru (Yoshihiko Hosoda), Hosuke (Takahito Hosoyamada), and Noriko (Rei Yoshida), who find themselves sucked into the movies on screen, living through the reality of various wartime situations in Japan’s history. Not being overly familiar with Japanese history, some of the finer points were likely lost on me, but the more pointed historical references are balanced with bits of humor and adventure. The kids witness the true horrors of war interspersed with tidbits of cinema history, which may sound odd, but Obayashi carries off the melding of tones. Obayashi himself pops up twice, once in a cameo as John Ford and again as a mysterious pianist who closes out the film. There is a youthful spirit of wonder and experimentation, as with most of Obayashi’s films, though it’s all the more noteworthy as he was in his 80s during the making of this film. He uses a lot of green screen, embracing every possible digital technology with no concern for any sense of realism, instead creating surreal and often hyperreal scenes. In his previous film Hanagatami, he used green screen to recreate the unreality and melancholy of memory. Here the effects serve a similar purpose, but do become distracting at times. But the madcap energy more than makes up for it. Bursting with iconic imagery and rapid fire free association, it’s a fitting end to his filmography. Review by Kyle Hintz (4 out of 5)   |
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