Film Review: Bachiranun (2021) by Aika Higashimori

Yonaguni, one of the Yaeyama Islands, is the westernmost inhabited island of Japan, lying 108 kilometers from the east coast of Taiwan, between the East China Sea and the Pacific Ocean proper. Aika Higashimori was born in the particular island, and grew up without without access to the cinemas or video shops until her high school years, which is probably the source of her unique style of filmmaking, which, in the case of “Bachiranun”, netter her the Grand Prize at the 2021 Pia Film Awards. 

“Bachiranun” is screening at Inland Dimensions

The film unfolds as a docufiction, focusing on a number of local characters, including a uniformed schoolgirl (Higashimori herself), a young man in a straw hat, a young woman who wields a bone, and her own grandmother, with documentary style footage interspersing with vignettes that move somewhere between the realistic and the surreal. What is undeniable, however, is the power of a number of the images presented. The zoom-ins in the eyes of the cattle, the carcass of a dead gull on the road, its innards filled with plastic, the gutting of fish, the young people who eat rather colorful fruit, that hand tattoos, the ritual around the fire close to the end, all present the island in all its reality, while also creating an imposing, even magical atmosphere, that carries the movie for the majority of its duration. 

The narration of Higashimori's grandmother about how things used to be and how they are now, from the oppression the textile workers suffered from outsiders, to the local rituals, and the fact that most of her acquaintances and family are now dead, add more to the portrait of the area, in a more dramatic, but also pragmatist approach this time. Traditional songs, dancing, poetry reciting, the presentation of various rituals and local flora and fauna and the issues deriving from the pollution of the sea conclude this rather appealing depiction of a very unique location. 

Probably the two best traits of the film are the cinematography and the editing, both done by Higashimori, in a true one-woman-show. The way the camera captures all the aforementioned elements is occasionally majestic, as in the case of the night scenes, essentially dictating the overall atmosphere of the movie to a large degree. The editing, particularly in the way the documentary and fiction scenes continuously give their stead to each other, induces the movie with a very appealing rhythm, while retaining interest through the interchange of these two aspects, keeping it entertaining from beginning to end, and also adding to the overall atmosphere. Add to all this Higashimori's quirky sense of humor, as exhibited through the interactions of some of the protagonists, and you have the backbone of the movie. 

“Bachiranun” is not exactly a film for everyone, as its experimental nature is anything but mainstream. At the same time, however, it is visually captivating, contextually interesting, while the love letter to Yonaguni aspect is communicated as eloquently as possible, and at 61 minutes, definitely does not overstay its welcome. As such, it is a movie that definitely deserves a watch, if anything, for its uniqueness, both in presentation and subject matter.