Japanese films back with offbeat human encounters
By Achmad Nurhoeri
JAKARTA (JP): A random encounter at any place or time can produce the most bizarre of experiences. Even in placid Japan, where the society is well organized and conformity is a must.
Diverse sketches of bizarre encounters that could suddenly mutate a man's life are knitted craftily together by Makoto Wada in his celebrated 1994 film Kowagaru Hitobito (Uneasy Encounters). The encounters are unpredictable and unrealistic, but they provoke the feeling that maybe they're waiting for us around the corner.
In an elevator, a salaryman could finish up his day drunk and trapped in a jammed elevator with a lady who thinks he is some kind of hired hitman sent by the lady's ex-lover. When the lady accuses him of purposely jamming the elevator and trying to slash him with a razor, the salaryman realizes the fear in his blood and begins to shout. Suddenly the elevator door opens and the lady walks out gracefully, without forgetting to say "see you later" in the most polite manner. Perplexed with a rapid heartbeat, the salaryman encounters the next elevator passenger -- this time a thug-like guy who suddenly puts bright red lipstick on his lips.
In a sake bar, a girl hunting for a job is stranded with just enough coins for a glass of sake and a train ride home. She meets a lady who offers her a way to get a job. Etsuko, the girl, is so delighted. The next day she follows the lady's instruction to give a letter to a guy called Yamasaki who lives on a remote island.
The recollection of a childhood fairy tale makes the girl fear that the letter is a part of a set-up to end her life just like the fairy tale of the sailor who gets a letter from a stranger who was actually asking the recipient to kill the sailor. The fairy tale memory in the end saves her life.
In a tiny village train station, an erotica writer arrives in his hometown and is halted by a train conductor who accuses him of not paying the fare. After a lot of arguing, name-calling and begging, the writer asks a pedestrian to fetch his mom so he can prove his identity to the officer. His mom tragically does not help him out because he didn't take care of her during the seven years he was gone. The writer becomes more horrified when his mom helps the conductor put a pot of cat-stew inside his throat.
At another train station, a kimono seller bumps into an ex- geisha in the middle of a hard rain. They run toward a lodge that has only one vacant room. After a good bath, they try to sleep but the ex-geisha cannot shut her eyes. She opens the window and suddenly cries out. The scenery outside reminds her of something awful. The kimono seller tries to calm her down and ends up having her body for the night. The next day, the ex-geisha confesses her past to him. He becomes concerned and asks her to be his lover. She nods, but after opening up the window again, she takes back her word and says: "You must have a wife."
On a remote island, a journalist and his photographer are on an archaic plane with a pilot carrying a baby on her back. Although risky, the illegal flight is the only way they can get back to Tokyo in time for deadline. The flight faces perilous experiences and makes the photographer piss his pants. One engine dies and gas runs out. The pilot is forced to land on a freeway but finds a gas station. The paranoid photographer insists on staying at the gas station. The next day the journalist sees the news on TV. His mate was buried dead after a landslide entombed the station.
Wada knits the five sketches in a twilight-zone-like style for a surrealistic effect. Surprises pop up every now as relief for the viewer. The movie is just one of the films that will be shown as a part of Pekan Film Jepang Terbaru (Latest Japanese Films Week) at the Japanese Cultural Foundation in the Summitmas Building, South Jakarta, this month.
Running from Dec. 17 to Dec. 21, the film parade will display five other films. Each is tagged with helpful but deficient Indonesian subtitles. Last October, the center was packed when it ran 12 movies with Tora-san, a legendary Japanese film character.
The films are from 1994. Like Kowagaru Hitobito they all introduce the human side of the Japanese, the so-called economic animals.
Two films come from the manga (comic) industry. Tsuri-baka Nisshi Supesharu (The Fishing Maniac's Special Version) tells the tale of Densuke Hamasaki, an average salaryman who loves fishing and wants to help his special fishing pupil and boss Ichinosuke Suzuki match up a young couple.
The other manga adaptation is Mainichi ga Natsuyasumi (Summer Holiday Everyday). This comedy portrays the ups and downs of Nariyuki Rinkaiji and his stepdaughter's attempt to create her own business. It was written by Yumiko Oshima, a famed female comic writer.
The festival also presents the award winning Kono Mado wa Kimi no Mono (The Window is Yours). The cute love story of the young and innocent was highly praised at the Vancouver Film Festival. The young love that bundles up the teen characters intensifies during the last days of the lead character Yoko's stay in her hometown before leaving for Hokkaido Island with her grandfather.
Japan's demanding elementary education is shown from the critical eyes of the poor children whose playful interests compete with the demand for good grades and entrance to the best schools in Sensei, Ashita Hareru Kana (Teacher, What Will Tomorrow Bring).
Last but not least, the center will also show Izakaya Yumei (Ghost Pub) which was one of the best Japanese comedies made in 1994. The funny story depicts a newlywed couple haunted by the ghost of the husband's ex-wife.
On opening night, Dec. 16, the center will show Tsuri-baka nisshi supesharu at 7 p.m. Each movie will play twice during the week at 4 p.m. and 7 p.m., while films will be shown at 11 a.m., 3 p.m and 5 p.m. on Saturday.