Picnic

I am very impressed by shunji iwai's films just like everyone else seems to be. I loved swallowtail butterfly so much. This film was good too, but it seemed to lack the feeling of reality and the created world in swallowtail.

Chara is really awesome, and the other two guys do well at times, and lack at times in their acting skills. the loony people just don't always seem that looney, you can at times tell that they are just acting that way.

still the film is done beautifully, and the story is interesting enough. watching three crazy people take a walk on a wall to see the end of the world is certainly original, and surprises may come. so anyhow. i would say that you should watch this, but don`t miss swallowtail.

Since the composition is so delicate, the harsh texture of the editing should be made deliberately. The gloomy and horrific interior space and imaginative outdoor wanderings seem to tear the movie into two parts, but when the fences, rainstorms, feathers and other details are fully expressed, the metaphorical irony is gradually replaced by a purely romantic atmosphere. Although some part of the film it's going too far, the integral effect is quite remarkable.

How do one feels the rules, the World, the Bible, and love when s-he's mentally disturbed? Reaaly cool! Chara and Asano Tadanobu are awesome and it has incredible cinematography as i think it can be expected from Shunji Iwai. The cinematography enhances the whole stuff, with a crescendo till the very end of the movie. It tells a lot while keeping it low on the words, as it let one feels from the inside point of view thanks to the humor and the great sensibility that are put into it. Overall a charming movie, on a barely easy field :)

This is the second Shunji Iwai movie for me. His films aren't officially available in France, which is a real pain in the *ss.

This work by Iwai Shunji shows the strengths of the short film genre. Valuing atmosphere and cinematics as much as plot, it avoids the trap many primarily visual movies fall into by being just the right length to catch and hold the viewer's attention. Iwai is at his best here, showing his Christopher Doyle influences (and, thankfully, not his earlier TV-directing influences). He has also managed once again to pull exemplary performances from the cast.

The story itself follows three psychologically disturbed people who leave their institution on a misdirected quest. Beyond that it is difficult to avoid saying too much, as, after all, this is a short film and hence has an appropriately short script.

While Iwai Shunji's earlier works lie among the dregs of Japanese cinematography, Picnic (as well as Swallowtail) should elevate him to the status of one of Japan's best modern directors. One can only hope that he can continue making works of this superb quality.

Iwai's Swallowtail and Love Letter are two of my favourite films. Asano and Chara are high calibre actors, and there are the stunning visual set pieces we've come to expect from Iwai, including the most arresting, startling suicide death ever committed to celluloid, a thing of sheer beauty. Unfortunately, the story is just too flimsy. The characters are not developed beyond their prognosis; Asano's demon makes disturbing hallucinatory appearances, but apart from that back story the rest is just three mentally disturbed people walking (and walking, and walking...) on a wall. There seems to be a short version and an extended version kicking about - I had the extended version, and it felt long. This seems to work better as a short film. The pseudo-Christian references are lame, a bum note in an otherwise passable effort. Thankfully, Iwai paid more attention to script in his later outings. This early one is strictly for fans looking to chart the director's development.