Tokio!

The "Shaking Tokyo" segment of this film is a suspense film. One man has been secluded in his house without interacting with other people and never stepping out of his house. He orders pizza delivery every Saturday and never makes eye contact with the delivery man. However, when a mysterious woman visits his house to deliver a pizza, something shocking happens and his life changes dramatically.

The subtle changes in emotions are vividly expressed through the facial expressions, tone of voice, and exaggerated movements. The unique eeriness, darkness, and unfriendliness of hikikomori are conveyed even in scenes without dialogue, and the development of the story is heart-wrenching. In particular, the scenes of the earthquake are filmed from various directions, giving the impression of realism, tension, and urgency. The two types of shaking, the vibration of the characters ´minds and the shaking caused by an earthquake that actually occurs, stimulate viewers imagination in each scene. The fact that everyone is stuck in their homes and no one is outside gives me the creeps. There is a sense of fear that hikikomori is gradually increasing in a chain of influences from others, and that the vitality of the city is lost.

"Tokyo!" is a film about 3 different stories that take place in Tokyo and each story is made by different directors.

Michel Gondry's "Interior Design" was surreal but also something some people can relate with. It's about a girl who has no ambitions in life and doesn't stand for herself and always gets the help from others. It's not that she doesn't want to be useful, she just has a difficult time with time trying to find her purpose in the world. But a drastic change takes place in her life. It felt it added a nice touch to Japanese life style and culture although some may disagree.

Leos Carax's "Merde" was disappointing and the story was boring and it felt the director wasn't even trying. The plot could have taken place else where cause it really has nothing to do with Tokyo or even has the atmosphere to it.

Bong Joon-Ho's "Shaking Tokyo" was the best out of the 3, it seems like for films like this they always show the best for last. It's about Teruyuki Kagawa who is a hikikomori who never steps foot outside, but that changes when he meets a pretty pizza delivery girl but in the process he accidentally inspires her to be a hikikomori herself, so from than on it's about a hikikomori falling for another hikikomori. I liked the style of this part of the film, it explored some of the characteristic in japan and the director seems to have done his research. I also fell for the actress who played pizza delivery girl Aoi Yu, maybe it's cause of her innocent and pretty looks although it's my first time seeing her in a film.

I give the film a 6.8/10 and if the second part of the film was good it would have been higher.

6.8/10

The closing film for this year's Singapore French Film Festival, it couldn't be more than apt as I prepare for my own trip to the Land of the Rising Sun, and what more than to sit through a collection of three short stories set in the capital city, as told by Frenchmen Michel Gondry, Leos Carax and Korean Bong Joon-ho, with their respective titled shorts Interior Design, Merde and Shaking Tokyo.

While I had enjoyed Gondry's Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind tremendously, Singapore failed to screen Science of Sleep theatrically, but Be Kind Rewind had better luck. Amongst the three shorts presented, his is the one that I would rate the best, having to tell a deceptively simple tale about people, and some really keen observation that I'd bet most of us would fall into or had experience some point or another.

His Interior Design is two fold, telling of a couple who relocated to Tokyo, and on the kind grace of their friend, managed to put up in her home for, well, until they get an apartment of their own. I'm sure many of us would identify with either being someone who's not "automatic", in exploiting the goodwill of others to a max, though sometimes it's not by choice but by circumstance when Fate decides to deal an unfair hand. Or if you happen to be the Good Samaritan believing that helping your friends out would boost your karma, but unfortunately you feel discomforted by the fact that things have well gone overboard, not to mention with an unnecessary extension to the disruption of your personal life too. It's a fine balance to tread especially when you realise that there are still some OB markers even amongst the best of friends that one shouldn't cross.

The other aspect of Gondry's quirky story dealing with a literal metaphor. I felt this was a somewhat funny aspect, though it did bring to mind that everyone strives to be useful in their lives, either to their loved ones, or to society in general. And sometimes, this calling when found could bring some sense of immense fulfillment and happiness, nevermind if in the eyes of others, it could be a simple function that you're out to satisfy. It's pretty amazing how all these rolled succinctly into an approximately 40 minute feature that's well shot and acted.

Now Leos Carax's installment Merde is a mixed bag, and my least liked amongst the three. It had the potential of being truly a great story dealing with man's fear for the unknown and the bizarre, especially when the story cuts quite similar to recent incidents along the streets of Tokyo with random stabbings. Here, Merde is a man who crawls out from the sewers without explanation, with a long beard and pupil-less eyes, walking with a gait and is just about extremely obnoxious to everyone he comes across, before disappearing without a trace into the sewers again.

It was fun while it lasted, where everyone had their own interpretation of this widely talked about figure, until the later half where it all went downhill from there, suffering from the overindulgence of scene after scene of mindless interrogation in what I deem as made up language (or Polish?) sans subtitles, so you'll have to take it at face value, whatever was revealed through Japanese interpretors. While it does have a set conclusion, the in-between was one trying test of patience that I dislike, as it was unnecessary.

Bong Joon-ho's the odd one out amongst the French filmmakers, but he holds his own with his story dealing with a reclusive hermit who boxes himself up at home, never to interact with any other humans, except when ordering pizza, and even then, avoids eye contact. He lives his life in an orderly fashion, and is a modern day junk collector who turns his trash into nicely stacked decorations within his household. Naturally things change when the status quo got challenged with a female pizza delivery-woman, and an earthquake which sends everything, including the girl, tumbling down.

It's a fun little love story, and a non-conventional one given the problems facing each character. In wanting to seek out his new found love, who never visited again, the hermit has got to challenge his fear of the big outside. The last memorable scene involving such a phobia, was with Holly Hunter's character in Copycat. Here, we play on the same fears, and I thought it worked in the plot really well, nevermind the almost farcical way the two would-be lovers connect. If only love were to be so easy as with a click of a button, for instant success. Not everything gets explained though, so you're likely to have to come up with your own conclusion with Bong's contribution.

I guess only Gondry's version allowed us to glimpse a slice of Tokyo in its streets and buildings built in such a way that a narrow gap exists, which of course could also provide fuel for ideas which was slightly elaborated in the movie. I thought it could have made an interesting story on its own, and perhaps, just perhaps, I'll explore it on my own and give it a go when I depart for the city later this week. Can't wait for that, and I guess just for Gondry's work alone, and Bong's strangely entertaining and visually beautiful short, I'll call this in as Recommended.

Well not quite - I mean I've never been to Tokyo, I am not even sure I will ever go there. But what I am sure of: it will be different than what I saw in the movie. Unless .. I go there to visit a movie set. But enough of this crazy talk ... let the crazy images do the talking.

And the crazy stories of course. Three different directors take on Toyko ... and what it means. I reckon to them? And maybe to others - there is something more than intriguing to the "short stories" we get served here. And it all works nicely - well if you don't mind the insanity of it all. Visuals included - there are things depicted here, that I would have a hard time explaining.

Good thing: the stories are way different from each other and you have a lot to discover ... dive in, if you are open minded and can suspend your disbelief.

"Tokyo!" is a collection of 3 short films each set in Tokyo, each made by a respected director who is not Japanese.

"Interior Design" is the first entry by French director Michel Gondry (known for "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" as well as all the cool Bjork videos from the 90s). This is actually an adaptation of a 4-page comic strip called "Cecil and Jordan in New York" by Gabrielle Bell. It begins with a somewhat mundane story of a young, penniless couple trying to scrape by in Tokyo, but it soon progresses into surreal, dreamlike, Michel Gondry territory. Spots of cute, satirical humor (poking fun at the pretentious artsy director boyfriend) as well as the under-appreciated girlfriend--an always welcome appearance of one of my favorite Japanese actresses, Ayako Fujitani (Steven Seagal's daughter, loved her in "Ritual")--make this a deliciously charming, mindbending treat to watch.

"Merde" (French for "sh!t") is a deeply satirical story of a repulsive criminal who lives in the Tokyo sewers, his violent activities, and society's bizarre reactions to him. Since the only real characters are the sewer monster and his kindred lawyer, there's not really anyone to get attached to. For that reason, this segment may seem unfulfilling to a lot of viewers (after all, who wants to watch a movie about a bunch of people you don't really like). But, more than any sort of human character study, this segment is rooted in deep social satire. That's where it gets its power. Directed by another French director, Leos Carax ("The Lovers on the Bridge"), this is an acidic film from start to finish. Sort of like a "Hunchback of Notre Dame" story but without any sympathy for the hunchback, this is a good film to watch when you're particularly disgusted with humankind.

"Shaking Tokyo" by Korean director Joon-ho Bong ("The Host") is a masterpiece of social disconnection. Set almost entirely in the meticulously tidy apartment of a "hikikomori"--a man with extreme agoraphobia who hasn't left his apartment in 10 years, it's surprisingly engaging despite its deliberately slow-moving presentation. The man is very likable in a nerdy way, and we instantly connect with him as someone who realizes that there's something wrong with the urban rat race, and so he withdraws into the most minimal sort of existence. But then by chance he encounters a strange visitor whose brief appearance causes him to, once again, question his chosen existence. A spectacular, mind-boggling finale rounds out this great piece leaving you with much to ponder. I also found the camera work to be the most pleasing here... You may notice cool tricks like the opening scene being shot entirely in 1 take, even though it guides us through several rooms and conveys the passing of time as if days are going by. Very nifty stuff here.

To me, "Shaking Tokyo" alone is worth the price of admission. But each of the 3 has its charm. If you're a fan of offbeat, surrealistic, artsy-but-not-annoying cinema, check these out for sure.