Naomi Kawase - impressions

[Rodica-Livia Monnet]

Joe,i wrote very hastily.There has been an ongoing discussion on Kawase which 
had some critical comments on her work.I really like her work,but some of the 
short films (Kono sekai,mangekyou)seem to me seriously flawed.Also her early 
films are still very immature,though they do show a real talent.My point was 
about the NHK interviwes and documentaries in which she appeared(Kawase naomi 
no riaru wo sagashite)etc,in which she talked all the time about the 
relationship between people,and that all that counts to her is the 
kankeisei,the atmosphere,the communication she can establish with her 
subjects.She said clearly,in a conversation with Hara Kazuo and others,that 
history,the social condition,the experiences of the ^people she films,dou demo 
ii,it,s all unimportant.The same point in raised in Aaron,s Documentary Box 
interview and elsewhere.Kawase does indeed say that she doesn't care much about 
about history,gender,politics,but much more about the kanjou,the feeling,the 
relationship she can establish with people.Also she was before rather 
inarticulate in her statements about her films,but has changed recently.I do 
think she has a wonderful potential,but would hate to see her go into selling 
Japanese autenticity,tradition or whatever.Kyakarabaa also looks really 
moving.i am impressed by her extraordinay self-confidence on camera,even though 
often her responses are rather weak.But she doesn't have to be a theorist,does 
she?L En réponse à Joseph Murphy <urj7 at nersp.nerdc.ufl.edu>:

> Livia Monnet wrote Re Naomi Kawase:
> 
> >Her interviews and TV appearances may indeed be less
> >illuminating than the films themselves.
> 
> That seems an unanswerable point to me, and one that keeps me up at 
> night.  What are we talking about?
> J. Murphy
>