Japanese Reviews Reviews

Film Review: Red Post On Escher Street (2020) by Sion Sono

A Sion Sono movie that can be best described as a return to the rebellious style where he shines the brightest

Seemingly appearing out of nowhere, “” is a movie that can be best described as a return to the rebellious style where he shines the brightest. While news of its production was not totally unknown with a fact or two being revealed throughout the year, the eyes of every Sono fan were fixed towards his East-meets-West thriller “Prisoners Of The Ghostland”, so the release did feel like a genuine surprise.

“Red Post on Escher Street” is Screening at Black Movie

Sono's 2020 release follows a filmmaker, known in the movie industry as a festival magnet, who is asked by a major film studio to direct a film for them, which the studio boss hopes shall receive a warm welcome at the festival circuit. When Kobayashi, the filmmaker, decides to hold a mass audition to select his cast, a multitude of characters from different sectors of society arrives at the prospect of fulfilling the dream of becoming one of the lead cast members in a film. However, most of the auditioners shall only get a chance to appear as extras, the nobodies attracting zero attention in the film.

Some may consider the film to be a narcissistic creation by Sono, as it fully exists as a creation which is undoubtedly his. He leaves his marks throughout the film in the form of recognizable traits, which makes an experienced viewer realize the identity of the director without knowing it beforehand. However, it is much more than a piece of self-propaganda. Instead, in this film, Sono appears to be in self-reflection. At times, the director Kobayashi, played by Tatsuhiro Yamaoka, seems to be a representation of Sono, who once worked outside the confines of the studio system. To attain the freedom he once enjoyed, Sono creates a story full of extras, the people whom we fail to notice while watching a movie. While they are not credited in the end, a movie cannot be complete without these individuals who helps create an illusion of reality as seen on the silver screen.

Sono repeatedly and almost venomously attacks the studio system of Japan through his particular sense of humour, more refined to suit the slow pace of the movie. Having a multitude of speaking characters, all of them with their own perspective and stories, Sono creates a self-sufficient world in itself. The world is so vast and detailed that it is not hyperbolic to remark that the like of such has not been seen since Yang's A Brighter Summer Day. The pacing is decidedly slow, to acclimatize the viewer to the huge range of characters, their stories and dreams. Then slowly the stories begin to merge, unexpected occurrences shake beliefs: all leading to a crazy final twenty minutes or so.

His delightfully rebellious approach continues to the casting. Experienced actors such as and play important roles, but the majority of the cast are amateurs getting their first big breaks. Especially impressive are the duo of and Riko Kurokouchi, both upholders of the strong feminist outlook the director provides. Technically, the movie is impressive.

Credits must go to Masaya Suzuki, a relatively new cinematographer, who handles the pressure with flying colours. Moreover, Sono treats the production as a passion project, donning the editorial hat with great success, dividing each story and combining the pieces with ease.

The film is surprisingly low on violence and sex, especially when compared to the approach he uses in other films thematically and stylistically similar to it, such as “Utsushimi” and “Love Exposure”. Even when violence or blood appears, it is not as brutal as in the works mentioned above. However, this story is not supposed to be brutal. It is the story of independence from the confines of an industry which strangles the life out of its own constituents and the violence is more sophisticated, directed towards the mind.

“Red Post On Escher Street” is a success from Sono in a way that he has failed to achieve in the last few years of his career. It touches the heights needed to call it a masterpiece and marks its spot as one of the essential films of a career marked by high workrate and stylistic variations.

About the author

Raktim Nandi

Hello, I'm Raktim Nandi, an Indian from the state of Bengal. I'm a student of Literature and a regular author for multiple sports sites. In addition, I'm a cinephile with a particular weakness for Asian films. One can find me watching ƌbayashi and Anno films in morning and Ghibli in evening.

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