Watching Movies Part 9: Futari (Two), directed by Nobuhiko Obayashi
Like the other day's "Sailor Suit and Machine Gun," this is a film adaptation of a work by Jiro Akagawa. "Futari" is a novel published in 1989, which director Nobuhiko Obayashi adapted into a television drama in 1990 and a film in 1991. I read a lot of Jiro Akagawa when I was a child, but it just so happened that I hadn't read "Sailor Suit and Machine Gun" or "Futari".
So, as I wrote in my note article the other day, I was surprised by the masterpiece that is Shinji Somai's film "Sailor Suit and Machine Gun," but Nobuhiko Obayashi's film "Futari" is an even greater masterpiece, and I'm left thinking, Jiro Akagawa is amazing...
With "Sailor Suit and Machine Gun," I couldn't help but cry from the moment that song played at the end, but with "Futari," my tear ducts were stimulated over and over again from the beginning, even during mundane scenes. Is it because it's a ghost story? Perhaps I was struck by the delicacy and beauty of a girl living between life and death.
Both films have a Yumiko Oshima-esque quality, and in fact, the cover illustration for the "Futari" novel is by Yumiko Oshima. The choice of illustrator is just too perfect.
In both, it is very Yumiko Oshima-esque for a girl to stand at a happy ending after going through a crisis. It's a satisfying way to end, and it doesn't leave a bad aftertaste. It's not hard to end with a bad ending, but it's difficult to lead to a happy ending with depth.
Even so, both Shinji Somai and Nobuhiko Obayashi are too good at depicting Yumiko Oshima-esque girls. A Yumiko Oshima-esque girl is someone who is fluffy, fragile, transparent, and honest. In "Sailor Suit and Machine Gun," the fluffiness is found not in the protagonist, but in a supporting female character.
Now, the protagonist of "Futari" is played by Hikari Ishida, and her performance is so fluffy that she is exactly like a Yumiko Oshima heroine. The other characters also look like people who would appear in a Yumiko Oshima manga, and I'm surprised, wondering what kind of movie this is. Even though it's neither a Yumiko Oshima original nor directed by her.
"Sailor Suit and Machine Gun" is an absurd story, but it feels like this is exactly how it would be if you depicted the process of a major change in the inner life of a girl in a critical situation and state; in terms of Yumiko Oshima's manga, it's like "Kaisoku Hansen" (Fast Sailing Ship).
"Kaisoku Hansen" is included in this book if you look for the current edition.
"Futari" has much more weight than "Sailor Suit and Machine Gun," and although the setting is mysterious, it has a sense of reality and truth.
This story begins with the sudden death in an accident of Chizuko, a second-year high school student who was a reliable, beautiful, brilliant, piano-playing star of the drama club who took good care of her clumsy second-year middle school sister Mika (the protagonist) and their unreliable mother.
That sister appears as a ghost wearing her high school uniform, and only her sister can see her. The ghost sister encourages and supports her sister, and they have trivial conversations just like they did when she was alive.
As the years pass, by the time the sister is in her second or third year of high school, the sister finally goes to the other side completely and no longer appears as a ghost. The family's problems aren't completely solved, but they have reached a turning point, and I think the sister has grown a little. Enough to be okay even without her sister.
One could interpret the sister's ghost as not being real to the girl, but rather an unstable girl's delusion—truly "middle school second-year syndrome"—but it can also be interpreted as a story of realism where a ghost truly appears.
Given the weight that forms the base of this entire film, I think it's better to interpret it as the latter. That although it's a mysterious story, it's something that is truly happening. The protagonist girl is fluffy, but this entire film is not; it is heavy.
However, within this weight, it's amazing how well they were able to depict this fluffy person! The protagonist isn't dark at all.
Not limited to the protagonist, the middle and high school girls have a brightness and sparkle unique to youth, and because it was filmed entirely on location in Onomichi, the city, the sea, and the scenery are beautiful. Although the film as a whole is heavy, the protagonists and the scenery are bright and beautiful. Even though it's a heavy and sad story, it leaves me with the feeling that I didn't just watch a good movie, but a fun one. Nobuhiko Obayashi is truly amazing.
As the story unfolds, the father's affair is revealed, and the mother's mental fragility becomes even more apparent. In a way, these parents' problems weigh on the daughters, and as a result, one might even think that this older sister, even if it was an accident, died while taking on all the negative energy of the family. Like a victim. Or perhaps the person who seemed the most "reliable" was actually the weakest in the family.
There are two stages before this ghost sister truly disappears. First, the sister confesses that it's a secret she's never told anyone, but that she always felt that only her sister was praised, and that there were times before her sister died when she wished her sister would just disappear. The ghost sister who heard this was clearly hurt, and although the sister tries to brush it off, what was said cannot be taken back.
The sister, for her part, tells her sister that she only stands out because she is dexterous, that her sister has something wonderful that she doesn't, and praises the novels her sister writes. Just before she died, she left those words to her sister. She's a good girl.
Furthermore, when the crisis in the parents' relationship reached its peak, the ghost sister tried to stop the sister's runaway behavior, but the sister rebelled and told her to just disappear. And although the sister even goes so far as to try to kill her father, the parents reconcile in a sudden turn of events.
The scene where this reliable older sister quietly sheds tears when her sister tells her to disappear and goes off to kill their father is a masterpiece. She's reliable, but she's only a second-year high school student. This feeling of being hurt, the transparency, and the sparkle of this "reliable" and spirited girl (as a ghost) is a brilliant performance by Tomoko Nakajima. Thank you for filming such a magnificent scene. Thank you, Nobuhiko Obayashi.
The sister is taking the first step toward mental independence, wanting to shake off the support and care of her sister, who is a protective presence. It is also brilliant that at that moment, the sister understands everything and decides to disappear (I assume).
If she were a dependent person, she would be obsessed and not stop the support, but this sister's quick understanding and action really show that she is "reliable," a "legendary genius," and someone who was active in piano and theater where one must act immediately on the spot.
On the other hand, there was also a scene where the sister worried that it would have been better if it were her instead of her reliable and popular sister, and her best friend slapped her, asking what the hell she was saying. This best friend was also good. In terms of Yumiko Oshima, she's like the protagonist's best friend in "Diet," someone with good judgment who is kind and can act quickly. This girl was also pitiful because her wonderful father, whom she loved, died.
Not only the intimacy with her sister, but also the chum relationship with this best friend is well depicted, and it's truly magnificent.
"Diet" is included here. By the way, the title work "Tsurubara Tsurubara" and the title work of the book mentioned earlier, "Dahlia no Obi," are the two best works of Yumiko Oshima that I like.
Even so, it's as if these sisters each feel at their core that it would be better if they didn't exist. The only things that made them think that were their unstable parents; these parents are good parents who love their daughters, but they are, unfortunately, very mentally unstable people. The mother is even hospitalized in a psychiatric ward. By the way, Ittoku Kishibe, who plays the father, is young!
The sister's best friend and the man who was the sister's friend also have a nice touch. There are also girls who are hostile to the sisters, but the parents and everyone else are all just so likely to appear in a Yumiko Oshima manga that it's funny.
The fluffy younger sister and the rather sharp and sparkling older sister—both have a sense of transparency and are adorable. Seeing them side-by-side or watching their trivial conversations is cute in every instance, and it makes it all the more heartbreaking that one of them is a ghost. It is a treat for the eyes just to see them, but it is truly amazing that the film manages to fully depict such a heavy story with this surreal and mysterious premise. The Takasaki Film Festival deserves praise for giving this movie an award.
It was filmed entirely on location in Onomichi, and the scenery of Onomichi is beautiful. Come to think of it, when you think of Onomichi, you think of 'Tokyo Story'.
There is a location map available.
I suppose it has become a destination for pilgrimage.
According to Wikipedia, 'The film is almost entirely faithful to the original work, and even Akagawa himself was surprised at how close it was.' Hmm... that's amazing.
Furthermore, it states that 'Futari' is 'one of Jiro Akagawa's representative works, and he himself has described it as a work that serves as his business card.' If the film is 'almost entirely faithful to the original,' then it must be a masterpiece worthy of being a representative work that serves as a business card. Even though Jiro Akagawa has many other popular and best-selling works, it is wonderful that he calls this his 'business card.' I would like to read the novel as well.
After her sister's ghost disappears, the younger sister begins to write about her sister as a novel, using her sister's fountain pen that still carries her sister's habits. For her own sake.
Even so, director Nobuhiko Obayashi is so good at depicting ghosts. It reminds me of his film 'The Discarnate' (1988), where the 'ghosts of the parents' were especially wonderful.
I don't think just any artist can depict a gentle ghost story with such realism and skill.
It seems that after people who read 'Futari' told Nobuhiko Obayashi that they wanted him to adapt it into a film, he read the novel and decided he wanted to do it. While there are others who are good at depicting young girls, there are very few who are also good at depicting ghosts, so it was a good thing that Nobuhiko Obayashi was the one to adapt it.
I like Nobuhiko Obayashi's films, but of all the ones I have seen so far, this 'Futari' is by far the best. It is a masterpiece where I didn't have a single moment of hesitation or doubt. Were the other film festivals besides the Takasaki Film Festival blind?
Although Jiro Akagawa struggled in his upbringing due to his eccentric father, it seems his mother, brother, and sister were good people, so he didn't feel his life was unhappy.
'Futari' ends in a way that suggests the protagonist will become a novelist in the future. If we think about it in relation to the author, perhaps this is what it would look like if the crisis Jiro Akagawa's inner femininity went through during his maturation process, and the internal journey until he became a novelist, were turned into a drama. Still, it was a good story. I want to read the original.
You can find Jiro Akagawa talking about his father and his upbringing here. It was good.
The theme song, which is sung from time to time, was also lovely and had a fleeting quality to it. A girl's voice, a girl's story. The voices of Hikari Ishida and Tomoko Nakajima are also sparkling and nice. The music for this film is by Joe Hisaishi; I don't dislike his music, but I wouldn't say I love it either, yet I thought the music in this film, including the theme song, was great. It wasn't overly sweet, but it was appropriately lyrical, and I think it fit this film, which depicts the beauty of girlhood, very well.
This is the end roll. It is said that Nobuhiko Obayashi and Joe Hisaishi are singing, and that had a nice flavor to it. I feel like I'm only saying 'it was good' (laughs).
'Futari' is available on various streaming services, so I think it is relatively easy to watch.
I want to read the commentary included with the Blu-ray (I'm hooked, haha).
It was on YouTube 😳
Writing this far, I keep saying Yumiko Oshima this and Yumiko Oshima that, but just as there is masculinity and femininity within a woman, there is masculinity and femininity within a man. And it just dawned on me that when a man depicts his inner femininity, it might sometimes end up like the protagonist of a Yumiko Oshima manga.
That is a little different from an 'admired woman.' It is something more, how should I put it, urgent. And I don't think it is an easy feat to take the purest image of the opposite sex within oneself, set it apart, affirm it as a unique person, and depict it in a way that a third-party audience can feel affection for. Especially if that person is a Yumiko Oshima-style girl. It is like using incredible mental strength to take a girl who is on the verge of death and, without killing her, lift her up and resuscitate her.
(Added 05/18) Come to think of it, a masterpiece about teenage sisters where the one who is always praised by everyone and thought of as annoying—and of course, the one who doesn't think that way about the other—dies, is Moto Hagio's 'Hanshin' (1984). These sisters didn't seem to be close while alive, and the themes are the love-hate relationship with those closest to you, the sense of loss from eternal separation, loneliness, and sorrow. The atmosphere of the story is also completely different from the movie 'Futari' and is darker. Perhaps because Moto Hagio's art isn't 'fluffy,' I didn't notice it right away.
But 'Futari' is also a story about losing one's 'half-body' (not god).
If it is a story about losing a same-sex half-body, then in the male version, although they are not blood-related brothers, Haruki Murakami's 'A Wild Sheep Chase' (1982) and 'Dance Dance Dance' (1988) might also fit.
Nobuhiko Obayashi is from a different generation, but Jiro Akagawa, Moto Hagio, and Haruki Murakami are all from the baby boomer generation. I don't know yet if 'stories depicting the initiation and sense of loss caused by young people losing a same-sex half-body' is a theme shared by this generation. I do think it is a pattern with a certain universality.