berlin

[robin at filmfestivals.com]

Dear Kinejapaners and Miriam,

I agree with Miriam that Sabu's Blessing Bell was not touching
emotionnally, as it was overwhelmed by its narrative mechanic (which I
didn't find so attractive either, for it is repetitive). As to Tasogare
Seibei, it remains a very beautiful, profoundly touching film, maybe "the
very first samourai movie" said a journalist during the press conference.
The sword fight between Sanada and Min Tanaka in the final quarter of the
movie is a rare delight, one of the most realistic fght scenes ever put on
screen. All in all, two thumbs up!

Borderline is a somewhat flawed Altman-like movie where debutting director
Lee Sang-il (whose career can be paralleled with that of GO's hero, as he
was raised in a school affiliated with North Korea) attemps to point a
finger at family disintegration in modern Japan. The meandering narrative
follows a young man who has killed his father, a young girl who performs
enjo kosai because of family problems, a yakuza looking for redemption
because he deserted his daughter, a mother whose child is beaten up at
school...
Lee sang-il adopts a rather bleak tone which is hard for the viewer to
sustain for two hours, all the more so as humorous scenes don't abound. We
get the feeling that he's hammering his point a little bit too much. But
the cast is great and Lee Sang-il's ample style worth discovering.

Robin