A Scene at the Sea
: Image Entertainment
Rating
: USA: Unrated
As far as mainstream American film audiences are concerned, Japanese filmmaker Beat Takeshi Kitano is a relatively unknown commodity. A megastar in his native Japan (where he?s on several different television shows, paints, writes, and more), Kitano is only familiar to fans of avante garde action cinema and arthouse fare here in the States. That could all change with the release of his first American film,
Brother
, this summer?but even then, most American filmmakers will be content to pigeonhole the auteur as simply another action filmmaker?a Japanese version of John Woo, if you will.
And while the praise for Kitano?s action films is more than deserved (
Sonatine
and
Fireworks
are two of the best films of the past decade regardless of genre), labeling Takeshi Kitano as solely an action director does the filmmaker a grave disservice?as
A Scene at the Sea
points out.
Honestly,
A Scene at the Sea
is sort of a like a Japanese surf flick?minus Annette Funicello and the corny music (at the very least, it?s a beach film?a setting Takeshi will return to time and again in his films, particularly
Sonatine
and
Fireworks
). Shigeru (Kuroko Maki) is a deaf garbage collector living and working in Japan. While on his route one day, he finds a broken surfboard amongst the trash. Despite the fact that he?s never surfed in his life, Shigeru takes the board and works to repair it. Once fixed, he and his deaf girlfriend Takako (Hiroko Oshima) begin spending all their time at a local beach where Shigeru attempts to learn to surf.
The locals laugh at his attempts since he has a beat up old board, no wetsuit, and next to nothing in terms of actual equipment, but Shigeru remains undaunted. When his board breaks, however, he?s forced to buy a new one?which brings about a meeting between him and the owner of a local surf shop who just so happened to be a talented surfer back in the day.
If you think you can see where this is going (if this were an American film, Shigeru would team up with the older surfer, learn to ride the waves, and become a huge success?but only after conquering some major obstacles along the way) you?d be wrong.
A Scene at the Sea
plays out as a romance concerned about the love between Shigeru and Takako as well as Shigeru and the sea, but even that angle isn?t handled in the traditional American way.
No, like nearly all of Beat Takeshi?s films,
A Scene at the Sea
is a distinctly Japanese construct, with a languid pace and a linear (if somewhat unfocused) plot progression. The film follows that zen-like philosophy that seems to appear in all of Kitano?s films?it?s the journey of the film that really matters?not the final destination. This becomes particularly obvious at the end of the film, which climaxes with an event that comes from completely out of nowhere?with nothing setting it up earlier in the movie.
This Japanese approach to filmmaking is what turns most westerners off to Kitano?s work?it?s beautiful visually, but it moves to it?s own rhythms and cadences that are not only far different from the standard American film (which loves the three act structure), but also the films of his compatriots in Japan. Shots are held longer than necessary in Kitano?s films?often starting before the action and holding on to the scene for a beat or two longer than necessary once its ended. This stands in stark contrast to most modern American cinema, where everything is hyper-edited to the point where no one image stays on the screen for more than three seconds. But, again, this really seems to fit in with the zen philosophy that colors all of Kitano?s films?life goes on even once we?re no longer a direct part of it.
Another major aesthetic difference in Kitano?s films is the lack of dialogue. While
A Scene at the Sea
features two deaf lead characters (who never speak a word), this is something that has come to color all of Beat?s films. Characters in these films act with their expressions and their bodies, not divulging everything they think and feel through their dialogue. This approach is an interesting one, since it allows the viewer to interpret a lot of what happens on screen in his own way?was that really a bemused grin, or something else entirely?
When you make films that feature so little dialogue, then the acting has to be especially good?and as is the case with nearly all of Kitano?s films, the acting here is exceptional. Kuroko Maki and Hiroko Oshima are excellent in the lead roles. While neither ever gets to speak a word, we as an audience are never left wondering as to how they feel?about life in general or toward each other. One particular scene demonstrates this quite well?in it, Shigeru is sitting on the beach and is joined by another girl. In the background Takako comes down a flight of stairs and spots them?then turns and leaves. Not a word is uttered, yet we know that she?s upset by what she sees. This is carried even further in a later scene where the two reunite?again, no dialogue is used at all?there?s no screaming match, no apologies, nothing except for the physical actions of the two actors which let us know that things are once again okay.
Regular Kitano composer Joe Hisaishi handles the scoring duties here. This would be the first Takeshi film Hisaishi would score, and it?s a solid, if ultimately somewhat forgettable, soundtrack. The music fits the mood of each scene quite nicely, but it?s not as powerful as the music that would appear in later films?and as such, not quite as memorable, either.
Ultimately,
A Scene at the Sea
is a solid film that?s a change of pace for Takeshi Kitano. A romance through and through with a bittersweet ending and some amusing moments sprinkled throughout, it?s a marked departure from the pathos-laden cop and yakuza flicks he?s so often associated with. And yet, while it?s not the ?standard? Kitano film, all of the stylistic flourishes are there?the long takes, the lack of dialogue, the languid narrative, etc. Yes, the film moves a little too slowly at several points, but it never bogs down enough to cause the viewer to lose interest?and it picks back up again soon enough, anyway. This is definitely one of Kitano?s lesser works (in that it?s not as profound as something like
Fireworks
, but it?s still better than most of the stuff coming out of Hollywood.
A Scene at the Sea
gets four stars from me (an avowed Takeshi Kitano fanboy) and is well worth a look for anyone interested in Japanese cinema.
Recommended:
Yes
Viewing Format:
DVD
Video Occasion:
Fit for Friday Evening