Winner for Best Director at the Tokyo Film Festival, Best Debut Feature in Udine, Jury Award in Camera Japan and of Audience Award in Japan Cuts, Nippon Connection and Asian Pop-Up Cinema, Seiji Tanaka's feature debut Melancholic is one of the smartest Japanese films we have seen during the latest years, particularly in the way it mocks a number of genre conventions and general concepts, while remaining entertainingly genre itself.
“Melancholic ” is streaming on SAKKA FILMS
Despite having graduated from the prestigious Tokyo University, Kazuhiko is unemployed and living with his parents without any plans for the future, in a lifestyle that could be easily described as that of a hikikomori. As the story begins, however, two events change his life completely, in rather unexpected ways. One day, he stumbles upon a former classmate, Yuri Sojima, who, opposite of him, is socially adept, cheerful, and even more surprisingly, seems to like him. Secondly, he manages to get a part time job at a local bathhouse run by old man Higashi, and soon finds himself both employed and in a relationship. One night, however, he is accidentally caught witnessing a yakuza execution in the bathhouse, and soon realizes that Higashi, and his co-workers, Kodera and Matsumoto, are not exactly who he thought they were. Inevitably, he is sucked into the world of yakuza.
The intelligent irony that results in a style of mocking that extends to a number of levels, is probably the best asset of the narrative, as much as of Seiji Tanaka's direction. That people who graduate from prestigious universities are expected to become rich and successful is the first one, with Kazuhiko's life path moving into the exact opposite direction. The romantic element in movies is also made fun of here, as Yuri has no reason to like Kazuhiko, while his eventual behavior towards her, and hers towards him later on moves in the same illogical path.
The yakuza aspect is even more intense in that regard, since, apart from the unlikely way Kazuhiko ends up being a part of a criminal organization, the criminals here are nothing like the usual yakuza representation in films: an old man, a middle aged boss who is essentially a contractor, and a blond-haired one who manages to appear an even bigger loser than the protagonist. Furthermore, that the only one who somehow fits the role ends up dead due to a rather wrong decision, and even more so, the fate the members share, cements this approach in the most eloquent fashion. Lastly, the very ending of the movie seems like the final irony from the director to all the aforementioned concepts, in a rather smart but also quite amusing conclusion.
At the same time, though, the movie is very much a crime film, with all the elements that comprise the genre being quite evident. Blood and violence, many killings, gun action and a series of rather agonizing scenes result in a film that is a thriller as much as a drama and a black comedy. That Tanaka manages to combine all these elements rather eloquently is another testament to the level of his direction, writing, and editing, in a one-man-show with excellent results. The bleakness that surrounds the lives of all characters here is also greatly implemented through Ryo Takahashi's cinematography, whose mostly saturated images, along with the ways he frames the action are also among the movie's best traits.
The acting is on a very high level. Yoji Minagawa as Kazuhiko gives a great performance, managing to appear as a timid loser even in the few moments where he appears brave or resolved or even successful. His antithesis with Mebuki Yoshida's Yuri also works excellently for the narrative, intensifying the particular romance approach here, with her also providing a sole ray of cheerfulness in an overall rather bleak setting. Yasuyuki Hamaya is also quite memorable as Kodera, while Yoshitomo Isozaki's performance as Akira Matsumoto results in a very interesting sidekick.
“Melancholic” is an excellent film that manages to be both exciting and heart-warming, while eloquently presenting a series of very interesting comments through a rather intelligent irony.
