Review by Tristan Bishop
Over the past decade Tetsuya Nakashima has emerged as one of the most interesting names in Japanese cinema. I first encountered the delightful, surreal comedy Kamikaze Girls (2004) and the devastating elegiac drama Memories Of Matsuko (2006) when they were screened on Film Four in the UK some years ago, and I couldn’t quite believe they were by the same director, so different were the approaches and subject matter of the two films. Since then he has also created a CGI-heavy children’s film in Paco and the Magical Book (2008), and garnered much worldwide praise for his low-key yet occasionally brutal thriller Confessions (2010). It’s obvious Nakashima isn’t really interested in being tied to a particular genre, and he proves it again with World Of Kanako, a pitch-black revenge thriller that almost outdoes the most extreme works by Japan’s master of the crazy Takashii Miike in tone and content.
Akikazu (a powerhouse performance by Koji Yakusho – who rocketed to stardom after starring in the huge Japanese hit Shall We Dance, and has been seen in Miike’s samurai hits such as 13 Assassins) is a former detective who has fallen on hard times; he is estranged from his family, now works as a security guard, and is taking anti-psychotic medication. When he is informed that his daughter has gone missing he goes into full-on Liam Neeson mode and sets out to find her, questioning her schoolmates and uncovering more and more dark secrets until he gets closer to the truth of what has happened to her.
But this isn’t your usual straightforward kidnap plot. For a start, Akikazu is a very unreliable central character; he drinks to excess, stops taking his medication and has, shall we say, some extremely dubious methods of interrogation. Despite his single-minded dedication to his quest we soon begin to question his motivation: whether he is really looking for his daughter, or whether this is a desperate last-ditch attempt for him to live a life that he never really had in the first place (‘flashbacks’ of his smiling wife and daughter pepper the film but we are constantly shown the reality as being very different), or possibly something else entirely – in fact the original Japanese title of the film, ‘Kawaki’ translates as ‘thirst’ – which could apply to the motivations of many of the characters in the film.
Often a film without obvious sympathetic characters (with the possible exception of one young man who befalls an awful fate through no fault of his own) this is a difficult film to admire, but Nakashima and Yakusho manage to make Akikazu a fascinating figure, with dishevelled long hair and a white suit which becomes increasingly stained with blood as the film progresses. Despite his abhorrent actions and dubious motivations we can’t help feeling some kind of kinship to him, and often the viewer will find themselves cheering on his sometimes gleefully violent mission, only to find themselves questioning it in the next scene. And whilst the plot might initially sound like a slow spiral into degradation and pain (along the lines of Aronofsky’s Requiem For A Dream), the film works magic by balancing a well-constructed mystery plot with frenetic action and editing, animated sections and a well-chosen, varied soundtrack. Even the title credits are brilliant, with sixties-styled fonts peppered with swear words and blood-splatters. In fact, World Of Kanako is possibly the best-paced Japanese film I have ever seen, lacking the lulls which seem to be an accepted feature of formal Japanese feature films – the two hour run time and breakneck (sometimes literally!) pace really work, and by the end of the film you’ll feel bludgeoned and breathless, yet still asking questions and making connections as the credits roll.
This isn’t a film to show your grandmother, for sure – it’s profane, shocking and soaked in blood from head to toe, but is masterfully put-together and more intelligent than all of the Liam Neeson-hunting-for-something (yes, I think we can call that a genre) films put together. Do yourself a favour and immerse yourself in Kanako’s world – although you may want to schedule a shower after you visit.