“.. reaches a satisfying bitter-sweet ending with warmth and humour. Which is indeed a worthwhile Happyend.”
Con Nats
4 Upright cars
It’s refreshing to see a Japanese coming of age story not mimic the usual formula of hi jinks and a musical montage. In this very original film, writer-director Neo Sora combines comedy, hi jinks and social commentary to strike the right balance.
The film is set in near-future Japan. Kids from a variety of cultures attend school. Earthquakes are an ever present anxiety which the right-wing government uses to rationalise more security and powers to the police.
Yuta (Hayato Kurihara) and Kuo (Yukito Hidaka) are 18, besties on the verge of graduating. They are free spirits who smoke, like techno music and pushing boundaries and when they decide to play a creative prank on the principal’s (Shiro Dano) new car, it’s declared a terrorist act. A big screen and cameras using facial recognition technology are installed everywhere. Kissing on the stairs is a five point penalty. Giving the cameras the finger is only three. Ata-chan (Hayashi Yuta) is very creative in this scene.
This affects Tau and Kuo differently and how they, and their close knit group of friends, react is what drives this drama.
Japanese films like to meditate on these themes and take their time to explore the impacts. Teachers resign and react by drinking with students and encouraging protests. One turns violent and Fumi (Kilala Inori) has no more than a bruise. Parents beg for forgiveness from authorities for their children. These are not scenes where the students are just being kids like in most teen comedies. They are reacting to authoritarianism.
The social commentary is throughout and much of it is subtle. A fourth generation Korean like Kuo cannot obtain citizenship. Ming (Shina Peng) laments being unable to talk to her Taiwanese father and only has basic Chinese. (It seems there are no foreign language courses.) The city is a concrete jungle and we only see one tree. Non-Japanese students are forced to leave classes during a self-defence class. The students prefer Korean food to Japanese. The prime minister blames illegal aliens for crime and vigilante groups are roaming the streets. (Sound familiar?) There is humour. These vigilantes would need wheelchairs to chase any criminals.
At the forefront are these young adults dealing with an ever changing right-wing lurching future and their own lives.
Like most Japanese films this is nicely shot and uses cool colours. Director Neo Sora has drawn excellent performance from his cast and crew and he knows how to frame a shot in an interesting way. Kilala Inori is a stand out, despite not being part of the central gang. And the chemistry between the young actors works.
As the script avoids big turning points, it feels a little long but reaches a satisfying bitter-sweet ending with warmth and humour. Which is indeed a worthwhile Happyend.
4 Upright Cars
Con Nats, On The Screen
