Japanese Reviews Reviews

Film Review: Sakura (2020) by Hitoshi Yazaki

Sleeplees nights, warmth, and magic spells are the essence of Hitoshi Yazaki's twisted family drama

The refined playbook of Japanese family drama allocates a close-meshed set of rules that many directors go by. At first sight, 's “” is just another chapter. Based on a popular novel, teenage drama in a high school setting, food scenes at the dinner table, and a dog that the film is named after. But the renowned director, who started as Sogo Ishii's assistant, lays out a false trail.

“Sakura” is screening on Japannual Film Festival 

Hajime (), Kaoru (), and Miki () live a happy life together with their parents at home. Hajime is the oldest good-looking baseball star of the family. He is the contrast to Kaoru, who has good grates but no luck with girls. Miki is the youngest sister, who mistrusts all the girls that the boys bring home. Sakura is the name of the family dog. Everything seems fine until an accident distorts the daily routine and puts them to the test.

“Sakura” starts with the known softness of a Japanese drama and develops a matureness throughout the storyline. In the 90s, Hitoshi Yazaki became famous for directing “March Comes In Like a Lion” (1991). The case study about harsh modern life brought psychological structuralism, nihilism, and depression to the table and linked Yazaki to filmmakers such as Tsai Ming-liang. In “Sakura” we see a different side of him. No more meditative long takes, no more silence, and a backstep from the sophisticated cinematography of his earlier works. This results in better pacing and imagery that focuses more on the characters and less on the surroundings. In addition, Yazaki shows his ability to tell a rather sad plot with a wink and sprinkles in his very own sense of humor. Based on a novel by award-winning writer (“The Round Table” 2014 / “Makuko” 2019) the audience is once more introduced to a world evolving around childhood and nurture.

Sleepless nights, warmth, and magic spells are the essence of a film that gives space to its three main protagonists. Kaoru talks to us and is the emotional anchor for the viewer. His inner dialogue narrates the movie but does not leave out the arcs of his siblings and parents. Each character has equal screen time and the many topics fit in well in the runtime of almost two hours. In the beginning, a rather confusing editing is used to introduce the backstory of the family members, underlined with a distinctive piano theme. After 30 minutes, “Sakura” recovers itself and reveals a lot of twists and funny moments. In doing so, Yazaki presents the up and downs in an non-agitated manner. There is no overacting from the cast and no corny stylistic tools being used that one may expect from the drama playbook.

In these moments, the true power of the actors comes across. Ryo Yoshizawa (“River's Edge” 2018) portrays a roguish Hajime and outplays his somewhat softened-down brother Kaoru, played by Takumi Kitamura (“Tremble All You Want” 2017). His role as the narrator gives him a neutral virtue that is matched by the acting of Nana Komatsu (“Farewell Song” 2019) in the role of Miki. Both show numbness in their behaviour that mirrors the feelings of puberty and sexual awakening. Since they are the younger ones, the movie equips them with uncertainty and doubt. The parents are played by Shinobu Terajima (“Oh Lucy” 2017) and Masatoshi Nagase (“Mystery Train” 1989). Their chemistry on screen, the contrast between the dominant mother and the passive father, resembles the topic of matriarchy and evokes some laughter after all.

“Sakura” turns away from the exploited way sexuality was presented in Yazaki's “March Comes in Like a Lion” (1991) or “Sweet Little Lies” (2010) and wraps up themes like homosexuality and incest in a contemporary pattern. As in Kazuya Shiraishi's “One Night” (2019), it also has a car scene as a journey through time to connect past and present. This kind of narrative tool may become a trend since it worked very well in both films.

About the author

Alexander Knoth

Based in Vienna.
Focussed on Japan.
Master's degree in Theatre, Film and Media Studies.
I write to get rid of rose-colored spectacles and to introduce unknown facets of Asian cinema.

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