Hirokazu Kore-Eda Thread

He's got an English-language one with Catherine Deneuve making the rounds.

Just watched Air Doll, and I truly hope it's the worst film he ever makes because I wouldn't like to think he'll direct anything else as poor as this. Haven't read the manga it's based on so maybe the tonal oddness worked better on the page, but it takes itself far too seriously for what is essentially a ludicrous premise (latex sex doll becomes sentient and seeks life's meaning in modern-day Tokyo). Might have worked as a black comedy-horror I guess, and there were a handful of scenes that were pretty compelling, but when you find yourself praying for a film to end you know you're in trouble. Korean actor Bae Doona (she was the archery-expert sister in Bong Joon-Ho's The Host) does a great job in the title role, and the cinematography is beautiful, but the whole thing is scuppered by the shitty script so what's the point?

I think it's his worst, yeah.

Gee, I see I've missed a lot. Nobody Knows and Still Walking seemed like possibly the best things ever at the time, but Air Doll and I Wish...didn't. Then I fell out of the loop altogether film-wise and now there's a full 6 (?) consecutive HK features I know little about?

Guess I should I scroll up for views on those innit...

Things turned around after I Wish. Like Father, Like Son and Sisters are still pretty feel good, but much better. After the Storm is just great, my favorite HK film probably since the earliest ones. And Shoplifters won the Golden Palm and is also good, though not quite as good as AtS. Then there's a French one, which got bad reviews

Great! I just made moves to procure AtS and Shoplifters, for starters. I should really stumble across from ILM more often!

Watching The Truth tonight.

Haha. I did watch it that night, my last new film before quarantine. I watched it again this morning. A real departure: Kore-eda imitating Assayas. Familiar but also rather charming, and Deneuve is superb playing an incarnation of herself.

Good Binoche interview: https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/on-mothers-daughters-and-the-truth-a-conversation-with-juliette-binoche/

Ethan Hawke, muffled 'yikes'

the truth was remarkably french

otm

as a film about children I enjoyed "I Wish". It was not as great as Nobody Knows though

Monster is middling Kore-eda, i.e. better than most directors' peaks, but does get bogged down a little in plot contrivances and melodrama. The script plays around with the viewers' sympathy towards various characters to an alarming degree. Stars Sakura Ando from Shoplifters who's even better in this film, one of the most watchable performers around.

Saddest moment was in the final credits when I realised the score was by Ryuichi Sakamoto, in fact his final piece of film work.

4/5

Yes the Sakamoto moment was a sickener. I ended up loving this, but would have happily watched a film just from the two kids' perspective.

Yeah, the final part is so good it made the first two parts annoy me.

The thread has skipped Broker, which is pretty wonderful and teams HK once again with Bae Doona of Air Doll, could not be a more different role for her!
I’m looking forward to Monster because it’s a Korēda film, how could I not.
My all-time will forever be After the Storm.