“The Barrel of Tochigi” or “The documentary of the barrel craftsman” as it is called in the opening credits, is a short biopic about a man who has abandoned his dreams to succeed the family business of Japanese barrel-making, as the third generation of the bamboo-crafting professionals. As we are introduced to his artisan atelier somewhere in the countryside reigned by the bamboo forest and tranquility, the camera follows his hands caressing the trees in the bright light, accompanied by the monotonous score composed for the film and the slow-motion shots, leaving the viewers to believe that they were invited to a commercial add, with the “order button” just a click away.
The Barrel of Tochigi is streaming at Japan Filmfest Hamburg
The voice-over fuels the feel of the promotional reel, with the words that could echo from any commercial break during a film screening. The directorial decision to over-emotionalize his subject matter, unjustifiably pushing him forward to tell the story of his life to the rhythm of a sprint foot-wear tunes, or even worse – a beer commercial shortly before we spot the youth jumping into the water after having had a sip of the cooled off drink, doesn't do much of a justice to a man with clearly many things to say, and much more skills to show.
The camera work compensates for the lack of the mightier documentary elements, focusing on the craft itself, the creative process and the atelier that bursts with lovingly created art-pieces and tools. Contrasting the light and colours, the skillful hands of Tochigi lead us through the almost eight minutes long film with an emotional might of a lone-goer who was promised a wrong deal.
When we actually see Tochigi in action, his hands flying over the bamboo wood with sharpened tools, crafting beautifully shaped vessels, all the film making faux-pas are forgotten about, and the bond between the craftsman and the viewer is established. Watching him perform the miracles, the viewer easily forgets about all wrongdoings in the making of the film.
