Nakashima's _Confessions_ screening in LA 1/6

[oyabaka at ucla.edu]

Hi All,

I just came from the UCLA screening too, and have a few thoughts.

I would have to suggest a revision to the observation that the teens  
are all depicted as evil - at one point, the main character (the  
teacher bent on revenge) even expresses disappointment that the kids  
weren't more cruel, though they do come across as stupid, simple, and  
unsympathetic.

The only vector of complication to this characterization is the back  
stories of teen's earlier childhood, where it is clear that neglect  
from adults (parents, teachers, etc.) contributed into transforming  
adorable, innocent, loving kids into objects of disgust and moral  
abjection. Not that this adds much richness to the rather simplified  
blame game... The usual suspects are there: neglectful parents, mainly  
mothers who have careers, mothers who dote on sons, absent/overworked  
fathers, violence-obsessed mass media, etc.

In terms of film style and plot, the film has enough to keep most  
folks interested. Talking with others afterward (the theater was  
packed), the general response, both from experts and average viewers  
alike, was that the film was successful in at least some ways, and all  
responses were enthusiastic. Some speculate that it won't capture  
American viewers, that some aspects of the  narrative are revealed too  
slowly or contain too much repetition to retain their emotional impact.

It has a Count of Monte Cristo feel to the revenge story, which mixes  
both careful craft and spontaneity on the part of woman wreaking her  
revenge.

There are some odd moments with visual techniques and metadiegetic  
sound effects, but anyone familiar with Nakashima's style might  
welcome them with a bit of nostalgia, since the film does feel like a  
more mainstreamed version of his usually richly textured style.

Just a few thoughts...


Jordan







>
> On 2011/01/07, at 10:53, "Alex Zahlten" <Alex.Zahlten at gmx.de> wrote:
>
>>
>> Hi,
>>
>> did anyone go to see Kokuhaku, and have any impressions/ideas about  
>> it? It generated some discussion in Japan (and much criticism from  
>> the "traditional" film critic side) and I'd be interested to hear  
>> further opinions-
>>
>> Alex
>>
>>
>> -------- Original-Nachricht --------
>>> Datum: Thu, 6 Jan 2011 10:00:47 -0800
>>> Von: Anne McKnight <mcknight at usc.edu>
>>> An: KineJapan at lists.acs.ohio-state.edu
>>> Betreff: Nakashima¥'s _Confessions_ screening in LA 1/6
>>
>>> hi all,
>>>
>>> short notice, but for people in town, this is screening tonight @
>>> UCLA. I was a big fan of _Shimotsuma monogatari_, and am interested to
>>> see where this one goes.
>>>
>>> Has anyone read the novel (_Kokuhaku_)?
>>>
>>> ‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾
>>> Melnitz Movies and the Graduate Students Association present...
>>>
>>> CONFESSIONS
>>> Thursday, January 6th @ 7:30 PM
>>>
>>> Japan's official Oscar entry for Best Foreign Film
>>>
>>> Tetsuya Nakashima’s Confessions is one of Japan’s most important films
>>>
>>> of the year. Reigning the national box office for weeks, the film has
>>> seduced, frightened, provoked and moved audiences with the depth of
>>> its focus on the delinquency of a despairing youth. A stylized mixture
>>> of cruelty and compassion, Confessions deals with school violence,
>>> bullying, revenge and love, while a...lso addressing the miserable
>>> state of Japanese public schools, prejudices against HIV victims and
>>> the consequences of allowing teenage violence to go unpunished.
>>>
>>> Based on the bestselling novel Kohuhaku by Kanae Minato, Confessions
>>> reveals the key mystery in its opening sequence and then focuses on
>>> the reasons that prompted this violent act and subsequent vendetta.
>>> Shifting between the point of view of the teenagers and the
>>> devastated, grieving teacher, Nakashima prevents the audience from
>>> taking sides, allowing the viewers room to come to their own
>>> conclusions about the dark acts they witness.
>>>
>>> Official selection Toronto International Film Festival 2010, Official
>>> Oscar entry Best Foreign Film (Japan)
>>>
>>> "Sustaining a fugue-like, intensifying counterpoint of sound and image
>>> over its 103 minutes, it's truly mesmerizing, and in terms of
>>> structure and articulation, hands down one of the most original films
>>> I've seen recently, affording a glimpse of another possible direction
>>> 21st-century cinema might take." - Gavin Smith, FILM COMMENT
>>>
>>> Director: Tetsuya Nakashima
>>> Starring: Takako Matsu, Yoshino Kimura, Masaki Okada, Yukito Nishii,
>>> Kaoru Fujiwara, Ai Hashimoto
>>> Screenwriter: Tetsuya Nakashima
>>> Cinematography: Shoichi Ato, Atsushi Ozawa
>>> 35mm, 106 minutes
>>
>> -- 
>> alex at nipponconnection.de
>>
>> GMX DSL Doppel-Flat ab 19,99 Euro/mtl.! Jetzt mit
>> gratis Handy-Flat! http://portal.gmx.net/de/go/dsl
>
>