Não Viver

Suffering from depression, a man creates a tour ride called the Sunshine Club tours, where he has an open invitation to all willing volunteers. This tour isn't like any other as their final destination is death, and driving off a cliff is the last stop, and each and every passenger is fully aware. Except for one; a girl who's given a ticket from her Uncle who was initially a passenger. They let the giggly student on to join the suicidal group of men, and set out on the road.

Suicide Bus was a surprisingly good flick as it mixed drama and comedy very well. There are many scenes of the passengers getting to know one another via arguing, questioning one another, playing games etc. And it's all done with a nice touch of black comedy. For example, one passenger is raring to go early on in the movie, at a visit to a snake show, he rolls up his sleeves so he can be bit by a cobra, only to be smacked in the head in comedic style by the bus tour leader. The film also packs an emotional punch, but not as much as I was hoping for. As the tour bus weaves through the Japanese country-side so does the story, and you're led through an ever-developing story that will have you second guessing up until the very end.

This film made me "laugh out loud" and also quite sad and introspective too. Equal amounts of both as the journey progressed, both of the audience with the characters, as well as the characters towards their planned accident. There were a few scenes which I wasn't sure came across to the western perspective on a cultural front (mainly the tin can episodes). But the rest was quite wonderful with good characterisation. Well worth seeing!

Finished viewing right now! I think that the kind of "suicide" within film has been treated in all ways and in all possible genres but this time we are in front of something original, in fact, this Japanese film did not give me a sense of already seen, the director He has chosen a particular style and also unpublished, a sort Road Movie dramatic but with a hint of humor. The 90s were for Japan (economically and socially) particularly dark, with the peak of the highest suicide history, the film in question makes it clear complaint and the director shows it openly. There are white-collar workers laid off or reduced in pavement, fathers of families who can not make ends meet, the sociopath who does not believe in anything ... any for all tastes! The film is very slow, but for myself it was not a problem, d 'on the other hand a high amount of Japanese films are structured and filmed so especially if you are facing the dire and dramatic arguments as in this case the suicide. I liked it? It is the movie I liked, but you could tell better and in a way a little more complex the story of the characters, inserting maybe another twenty minutes longer and bringing the film to a total duration of two hours, would have helped to make "Ikinai" even more interesting. It is not a movie for everyone, the film leaves important messages, I do not recommend it to those looking for a relaxing and movies fast.

This is a most unusual Japanese film, showing a new side of serious Japanese cinema--treatment of black comedy.

What is more unusual is that it deals with suicide--no laughing matter for the Japanese. Hara-kiri is almost revered.

And here is a first film from a young director that tackles this "deadly" subject with wit. Hiroshi Shimuzi has guts and talent, which I wrote about in January 1999, while reviewing the film (for India Abroad, New York) shown at the Indian International Film Festival at Hyderabad. I was pleased that it got recognized at other film festivals as well--including Locarno.

It reminded me of Cuban filmmaker Tomas Alea's black comedy "Death of a bureaucrat" made so many years ago.

I wonder how the Japanese reacted to the film.

I don't know how this film managed to slip under my radar for so long, it being the Office Kitano production without Beat on board as a director or an actor. Surely it had a lot to demonstrate upon its debut.

Immediately we get introduced to a mystifying character Aragaki (Dankan), who in his state of anti-manic depression manages to present a scheme involving a bus accident on a road where such an occurrence would be ruled as legit, due to the history of past fatalities, which in return would leave the families of the victims (or volunteers) with loads of insurance money to pay-off their debts. Aragaki manages to find a handful of such people, most of them in their 50's and 60's but also a few younger men. And what bus tour would be complete without a duet of a sturdy driver and a female tour guide that can karaoke on the go.

With the story being centered on the suicide journey of a group of people, the results can seem quite wrongful and comically unappealing at a first glance, but I've learned to leave the prejudice at the door when it comes to Oriental cinema and I strongly believe that truly good films don't get overshadowed by the sensitive subject matters nor do they get lost in translation.

The otherwise well scheduled trip faces a slight change of plans when a young girl shows up with the ticket for the tour, which she got from her uncle who couldn't make it but didn't want the ticket to expire. Surprisingly she gets allowed to come along and her character just seems very likable, while not being overly campy or a typically low spirited youth.

Next 55 or so minutes of the film indulge us with simple yet beautiful Okinawan scenery and get us acquainted with the rest of the gang. The cast is filled with amusing and distinctive characters, from an arrogant, big-shot businessman, to an old prankster who doesn't know when to stop with the jokes. A little mystery that's Mr. Kimura who tries to end his life whenever he sees a chance, only to get smacked on the head by Aragaki. All of this is glossed with pleasant folkie tunes which help to deflate the otherwise heavy undertone of the film.

Towards the end of the film the humor lessens, obviously it couldn't have been all fun and games but the film still managed to hold my interest. These characters had to face certain consequences and ponder whether going through with it was the right choice, which really no one could measure better than they could themselves.

An extraordinary film which wouldn't have managed to be so strangely uplifting and poignant if it wasn't for the humaneness of these relatable characters and what they had to say throughout this prolific journey. A distinctive product of Japan despite its touchy topic, a worthy offering from Office Kitano.