At this year's Toronto Japanese Film Festival Isao Yukisada presents his newest film about a complexe love story. The film with the poetic title āThe Cornered Mouse Dreams of Cheeseā is based on the manga series of the same title, published between 2005 and 2006. Yukisada gave life to the characters invented by author and illustrator Setona Mizushiro. The latter collaborated in the writing of the screenplay.
“The Cornered Mouse Dreams of Cheese” is screening at Toronto Japanese Film Festival
In this a bit overlong drama, the protagonists are Kyouchi, Imagase and Natsuki. Kyouchi is a salary man. He escapes his boring life and monotone marriage by having an affair. His wife find out about it and hires a private detective to get proof and ask for a divorce. Imagase happens to be an old youth friend of Kyouchi. He takes the chance to confess to the latter that he always had been in love with Kyouchi. The two engage in a love story with a strong physical attraction. While Imagase is fully committed to the relationship, Kyouchi hesitates to make his coming out as a homosexual.
The two men experience a lot of ups and downs. Imagase is very jealous and Kyouchi still unsure if he can take a stand for his love. Then also Natsuki appears and claims Kyouchi belongs to her. She tries to separate the couple and uses Kyouchi's insecurity to do so. After several breakups and affairs of Kyouchi with women, Imagase feels forced to take a decision concerning their common future.
The film depicts the love story in a simple and sensitive way. It shows Kyouchi's struggles to choose what he thinks will make him happy. The opinion of others and of society weight more than his personal needs. But this is not the only thing that puts pressure on him. Watching Imagase's unconditional affection for him, scares him. The drama elaborates the contrast between the two characters very well. And Ryo Narita as Imagase and Tadayoshi Ohkura as Kyouchi harmonize perfectly together. They develop the singularities of each of the figures convincingly.
The pace of the film is very slow. It would have been better if the story was concentrated a bit more, reducing the total length of the film. But a the same time, its rhythm is an important part of the storytelling. It reflects Kyouchi's volatile character and inability to take decisions. It also stands for the nerve-racking journey Imagase goes through while waiting for Kyouchi. Every time Kyouchi comes back to him, he thinks that would be the definite one. But than Kyouchi flees from too much intimacy.
Where their connection shows and where Kyouchi is able to let himself go is on a physical level. The two men reach an understanding when they have sex that doesn't need verbal commitment. In this aspect, the film is very explicit. The erotic scenes are relatively extended, still without searching for a sensational or very pronounced voyeuristic point of view. They are actually captured in a sensual way. The camera is close to the action and the lighting highlights the warm colors.
Visually, the film achieves with these scenes another contrast. In Kyouchi's flat, cold colors dominate. The walls and floor are grey. There are very few furniture and in total, the space doesn't evoke a very comfortable and welcoming atmosphere. Kyouchi moreover often moves around in a stiff way always afraid to make a false step, which corresponds to his inner emotional life.
Overall āThe Cornered Mouse Dreams of Cheeseā is an impressive, even though a times demanding, trip into the intimate life of two interesting characters. It is moreover well shot and features a mature and confident cast.
