University is supposed to be a time where you start off naïve, but come out the other side ready for the real world. But, as is the case for many of us, Horigai (Yui Sakuma) is approaching the end of her time in higher education but is far from ready for anything. Ryohei Yoshino's third feature “Eternally Younger Than Those Idiots”, however, is an assured piece from a director that looks to be finding the right course.
Eternally Younger than Those Idiots is screening at Camera Japan
Having already arranged a child welfare role in her hometown, Horigai spends her last few months of uni handing out surveys as part of her thesis. But she's in no hurry to get it written, and so spends her days lazing about. But with time on her hands, and an impending job that will prove difficult, she starts to develop an anxiety about her place in the world. A bumbling virgin, she wonders if she is cut-out for adulthood, and specifically a job that means so much to her, but also terrifies her.
Introduced to a friend of a friend, she finally feels she has found someone she might connect with, though that soon becomes another closed road. Yet by chance, she meets younger student Inogi (Nao), and the unusual pair find a comfort in each other's company. Both outcasts, the more they share with each other, the more that their unconventional ways may hold them in good stead for what lies ahead
Focused on characters struggling to come to terms with a situation, slow-paced and dialogue-heavy, this does have shades of Ryusuke Hamaguchi. Though there is more unpolished comedy on offer here, with Horigai's bumbling early on, and her eye-opening – or rather face-covering – night out with work colleague Yasuda (Yo Aoi). But the main focus is the developing dynamic between Horigai and Inogi.
Both shy and unsure of themselves, their friendship isn't an immediate hit as they take time to open up. But once they do, they soon find they have someone they can confide in and rely upon, where others may let them down. The dialogue between the two is well written by Yoshino, working with Kikuko Tsumura's source novel.
The unusual title comes from Horigai's revealing why she chose to work in child welfare, despite not seeming fit for the role. The revelation part way through shows her finally expressing herself to someone she can trust and is a turning point for Horigai in gaining inner self-belief. After this revelation, the film loses some of its innocence. Initially, Horigai is a virgin and this is the main concern in her life. But she realises there are deeper problems that don't come with such an easy solution. Sex becomes just another part of everyday life and not something to worry about too much.
A lot relies on Sakuma's performance and she delivers in the lead role, never making Horigai too bumbling and annoying to start, but far from making her over-confident by the conclusion. Subtlety is key here in Horigai's growing, and Sakuma paces this well, ably supported by Nao.
Naturally, a film such as this can slip into some clichés, bordering on teen angst drama in parts, but luckily it doesn't slip too far, and shows that life's answers bring with them their own problems. In a career that has been sparse and underexposed over its first decade, perhaps “Eternally Younger Than Those Idiots” can be Yoshino's maturing as a director.
