Shiawase no kiiroi hankachi

This is a film about three people who are very lonely for different reasons and find themselves all on the way to Hokkaido. What seemed like a very odd trio and a very odd premise became a wonderful film about hope, forgiveness and belonging. Extra points are given for the film being set in Hokkaido and not Tokyo, it gives the film much mire meaning and authenticity. Actually, Hokkaido itself is a co-star of this film, as you see it rolling along out the car window. The acting is superb and the film is a major crowd pleaser. Director Yamada Yoji's films are kind of hit and miss to me (I've only seen a few Tora-san films) but this one really kept me interested and, along the way, I cared about each character more. Watch this, its a feel good film about life.

Although it is said that Vivir Es Facil con los ojos cerrados (2013) is based on an independent memoir, the similarities of the film are so pronounced that I wonder if that Spanish notable was actually written with this film in mind.

Three strangers temporarily at the seams of Japanese society, unemployed and running away from certain emotional pain, find each other on a meandering pointless road trip. The mix is one younger man, one younger woman, and one middle-aged man, must like in Vivir Es Facil.

The younger man is brash and awkward, the middle aged man experienced and sturdy, and the girl feminine - that is, supportive but hesitant. Yet the interplay of three personalities forced into a road trip isn't the main dynamic here. In fact, all three of them, young and old alike, are lost and emotionally fragile, although this fragility appears in different ways and situations.

Whereas in Vivir, the middle-aged man is a mental case, here he actually fills a little bit of his role, steadying the outbursts of the younger man providing a voice of experience and reason at various points. Yet both of the roles channel a little bit of the child. In Vivir, the man had a childlike anglophilia and love for the Beatles; here the man makes a mess of his personal life and runs away from said mess like a frightened child.

Too haphazard and strained to be a great movie, the performances are strong and I appreciated the substantial shots of rural Japan in the 1970s. The ending is surprising, even shocking, and you wouldn't expect such a simple thing to be, so that was a pleasant surprise.

Also, the Enka soundtrack is fantastic.

Honourable Mentions: Vivir es facil con los ojos cerrados (2013) - such a similar movie, you'd think they were related. A middle-aged man picks up two young runaways and they go on a road trip through Spain to so the man can go meet with one of the Beatles. Along the way there's some complaining about Franco's regime and scenes functioning as critiques of violence which are not well done. The central theme of handkerchief is more about how people are still trying to find themselves at any age and it doesn't try to get more symbolic or deep than its britches will support.

You could describe it as a gritty, "thinking man's Tora-san" (in fact it shares a script-writer and some of the same cast as the early Tora-san films). Funny in many places but not a comedy; more like a slice-of-reality, on-the-road film in which three strangers are thrown together and romantic love triumphs in the end. Not an art film by any means, but great in its own way.

The plot is a simple one but the characterizations and travel episodes fill the movie out. When the travelers near their destination, the film shows an affection for small towns as we look out the car window and see the old buildings and the residents passing by. I was surprised to hear a performance of the song "Can-Can Musume" which I haven't heard for over 50 years.

This confection is hard to watch for the first twenty minutes. The loudmouth driver in the cowboy hat is particularly irritating, and the poor distracted girl he eventually persuades to take for a ride is only just tolerable. Things begin to settle in when the great Ken-san finally moseys on in (about 25 minutes in).

Another reviewer observes that Hokkaido is a co-star. The local tourist bureau could certainly use this movie as a promotional video, as the lovely scenery of Japan's frozen north is handsomely on display here. Frankly, it is about the only aspect of the movie that held my attention while waiting for Ken-san, and remained a considerable asset from then on.

In case there can be any doubt, I will state it clearly. Yes, I can see that the young couple are mainly in this story as a foil for Ken-san. But I still contend that they take up too much screen time, and the film could only have been improved if their parts had been substantially cut. For instance, the first twenty minutes could have been cut to five minutes or less with no appreciable loss.

I hardly need say that Takakura puts in a subtle and moving performance, for which he is justly famous. And the longer he is on screen, the more the young couple improve. By the end, they are almost bearable, and the cowboy has even managed to develop some gentleness. Better late than never.

Ken's character's past is gradually revealed, and though there are no surprises here, the journey is compelling and moving. Very sentimental but highly watchable.