This year's program of the Osaka Asian Film Festival presented the new short film by Shinji Imaoka. In “A Rainbow-Colored Trip”, the Japanese director tells from the point of view of his teenage protagonist how her parents' relationship has changed over time. It's a familiar topic and a story most people will be able to identify with, that he stages here in sober images, but with a slightly fairy-tale tone.
A Rainbow-Colored Trip is screening at Osaka Asian Film Festival
With a last trip together, the family, father, mother and daughter, want to say goodbye to their previous life. Haruka knows very well that it is impossible that her parents will reconcile again. They quarrel constantly and just can't seem to be able to live together. The mother works for the theatre and has a new boyfriend. The father is a good-natured man, but hurt by his wife's defensive attitude.
The campfire and the atmosphere of the resort in the forest have no effect on the quarrelling couple. There is no romance between them, they eye each other suspiciously and are very tense. Still, there is a last spark of hope in Haruka that her parents will give each other another chance. The next morning, when everyone is still asleep, she goes for a walk in the forest. She meets a boy who tells her that there is a waterfall that can grant all wishes. That's exactly want she needs. Prancing happily, she walks through the forest, reminiscent of a modern “Alice in Wonderland”.
In this short film, the director indulges his obvious fondness for fables. The protagonists sing their way through the story. In particular, the young actress and singer Yuune Sakurai as Haruka demonstrates a confident presence and an assured voice. The contrast between the singing, which has something cheerful about it, and the seriousness of the words sung is interesting. The director manages this mixture between tragedy and comedy very well.
“A Rainbow-Colored Trip” thus creates a melancholic as well as dreamlike mood.
