Take a Glimpse Into the Mind of One of Japan's Most Rebellious Film Makers
Sion Sono is a Japanese filmmaker who has tirelessly dedicated himself to his craft for over 30 years without signs of slowing down. He has churned out films at a rate similar to a butcher churning out sausage from a grinder and has become well known for his fearlessness when it comes to both genre and topic exploration, never shying away from showcasing cultural taboos in all their glory. However, a focus on quantity has naturally impacted on quality at times, and while I have but only scratched the surface of a lengthy resume, I would like to share my thoughts on what I believe to be his worst and best films. So let's get started.
Tokyo Tribe
Sion Sono's attempt at a musical, Tokyo Tribe looked to pay homage to Japan's hip-hop culture, and possibly to the role of "tribes" in Japan and their role in creating a sense of individuality in an otherwise uniform and homogenous country. Unfortunately, the protagonists are forgettable in their involvement in a film that's plot is over the top and who's antagonist is excessively foolish.
Even the music presents nothing in the way of inspiration or innovation in composition, style, or delivery, leaving a film that looked like a messy mix and match of ideas. Far better suited to a garbage heap than anything else, I thought the film was far from the best quality of Sono's other work.
Love and Peace
A comedy-drama focused on the relationship between an adult man and his small pet tortoise, the film follows the progression of the companion's journeys both together and when the two end up separated along the way. The tortoise finds himself in the care of a man who can magically give self-consciousness to discarded toys. The small tortoise is gifted with the power of granting the wishes of his original owner, who as a result, becomes a famous pop singer who soon changes for the worst.
The story as a whole is strangely crafted without much fluidity; the score is poor and the experimenting with puppetry felt superfluous. Just nothing good as far as this offering is concerned.
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Cold Fish
Such a forgettable film that I struggle to even recall what it was about. The film did look to explore family dynamics in Japan, as a young girl would rebel against her simple family who owned a modest aquarium business, eventually involving herself and her family in the affairs of a larger business and its sociopathic owner.
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Suicide Circle
One of the first exports to a western audience, Suicide Circle, also known as Suicide Club, once more looked to speak about suicide in Japan while taking a more creative angle as to its causes. A mysterious series of suicides and other violent behavior is attributed to an alleged suicide club that the police attempts to stop. The film has its moments and is striking as it is disturbing in places, but the additional bizarre aspects took away from the overall experience as the film progressed.
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Why Don't You Play In Hell
Some may be shocked that this film is so far down the list, as it has often gotten a fair bit of praise for being one of Sono's best, but personally, the film just didn't do enough to strike much of a memorable chord with me. Following, on the one hand, a group of aspiring filmmakers looking to make a big hit, and on the other hand, two warring Yakuza clans, who's one leader is infatuated with the daughter of the others', slowly builds up to a final epic battle that brings them all together . The production wasn 't great for the most part and the entirety of the film played to a silliness that isn't going to be everyone's cup of tea.
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Himizu
A film that I feel is a little underrated, Himizu is Japanese for secret, and is a touching drama about a highschool boy who is abandoned by his parents and left to run a small boat rental business on his own. His only companions are a few good-natured squatters and a young classmate with a large crush on him, seeing great virtue and potential in his simple outlook on life.
The film has a lot to do with responsibility, regarding our actions and those who are placed under our care. The film also seems to suggest a continuing metaphor between a disaster that hit a part of Japan and the young man's life as a whole, giving a sobering look at how we pick up the pieces of our lives after great disasters. Well worth a watch.
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Guilty of Romance
One of Sono's racier films, Guilty of Romance explores gender dynamics in a typical Japanese marriage and follows the wife of a successful author who slowly breaks from her expected obedient and reserved nature to begin exploring her body and sexuality.
Her initial flirtations with nudity and casual sex serve only as a gateway to far darker avenues that threaten to devour her. A good cast and story development make Guilty of Romance a thrilling watch.
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Noriko's Dinner Table
Noriko's Dinner Table is a drama/thriller, which also happens to be the prequel to Suicide Circle. The film follows a girl named Noriko, a high school student bored and frustrated at her small-town life and a father who's delusional and oblivious attitude towards his two daughter's feelings and desires leads Noriko to eventually run away and search for excitement in the big city. Getting together with someone she met online, Noriko abandons her family, her past and even her name, and gets involved in a great many unorthodox dealings with her new friend.
With her departure snowballing into great misfortune for her family, her father takes off in search of the daughters that he lost. An amazing story that surprises at every turn and that strikes with a relatable sentiment that makes us look at who we are and what we want to be.
Strange Circus
A fitting name for a very bizarre film, Sono decided to flex his artistic muscle and skill with the abstract in this particular offering. The film looks at a young girl who is the victim of both emotional and sexual abuse at the hands of her mother and especially her father. Her world becomes distorted based on this, making it hard for viewers to fully grasp what going on or who is who, while at the same time the confusion helps to soften the visual blow of its disturbing content. A brilliant score and striking visual aesthetics make Strange Circus a challenging yet rewarding piece of cinema.
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Love Exposure
Spoken of as Sion Sono's magnum opus, Love Exposure is a romance drama that runs for almost 4 hours! The film is something of a visual dissertation on love in many of its forms. The film focuses on a young man and his catholic priest of a father who instills the typical sense of continual guilt in his son for his actions and his thoughts. In an attempt to always have something to confess about, the young protagonist looks for trouble anywhere he can, but also goes about finding his true love, or his Virgin Mary as it were.
The film looks at all the ways that we love, from the love of ideas and abstract things to material possessions and memories. Infatuation and lust, religious love, and selfish motives are all explored in this lengthy feature that explores several concepts and themes. The film stars many of Sono's reliable actors and actresses and stays true to many of the elements that brought Sono to the dance in the first place. There are several moving parts that are well crafted and connected to create a movie, that while can feel endless, is nonetheless captivating, exciting, and disturbingly fascinating. Choose a timeslot in your day and give this one a watch.
This is my personal list so there will no doubt be disagreement as to the placement of the different works. I look forward to your thoughts in the comments below. Happy viewing to all :).