In his 2015 graduation speech to the graduates from New York University Tisch School of the Arts actor Robert de Niro started by saying “you made it”, but then followed by “you f*cked”. While graduates from other schools may already have jobs waiting for them or a couple of job interviews, the perspective for students of the arts has always been quite dire within an industry where only few actually make it. This is especially true in times of crisis. For example, the global pandemic and the lockdown which destroyed many people's lives as their source of income was suddenly gone, but at the same time the bills still kept piling up and demanded to be paid. Having graduated from film school, Taku Aoyagi found himself in a similar situation and with his student loan waiting to be paid and his grandmother's medical bills arriving via mail, he searched for a way to make money, which is the starting point for his documentary “Tokyo Uber Blues”.
Tokyo Uber Blues is screening at Nippon Connection
Through a friend from university, Aoyagi comes across the idea to be a courier for Uber Eats, a job which was easy to do and guaranteed quick cash, so exactly what he wanted. Even though his parents were concerned of him becoming infected with COVID in Tokyo, which had become a hot spot for the virus at the time, he eventually packed his few belongings and went on the journey to the capital. “Tokyo Uber Blues”, as the title suggests, is a feature about his experience being a food delivery courier, the competition with others, his struggle to find a routine and his joy as he makes his first paycheck. However, it is also a study of loneliness, self-doubt and about proving something to yourself, and perhaps becoming a more resilient person in the long run.
Check also this interview
During the last years, even before the pandemic started, there have been a couple of features tackling with the Japanese job market and the experiences of the workers. Tokachi Tsuchiya tackled the kind of exploitation and bullying at the workplace in “An Ant Strikes Back”, with Aoyagi's documentary sharing some common ground, but obviously within a different context. Essentially the audiences witness a process of disenchantment turning into frustration and eventually even depression, as the director experiences the loneliness of his job, as more or less no one wants to have contact with him in fear of becoming infected, and also the way his job is being taken for granted. Although it is a personal journey which is at the heart of “Tokyo Uber Blues”, its director also has lot to say about the kind of jobs and workers whose job connected people at a time when social distance was the norm.
What makes “Tokyo Uber Blues” special is its realistic approach, but even more so its honesty. Aoyagi does not shy away from the hurdles in the journey he shows, which includes portraying rather stupid and naive decisions, some of which can be boiled down to his lack of life experience at that specific point. Although some are humorous, as a result of the director's unwillingness to back down from his initial plan, others are quite heart-breaking, especially when you witness the emotional change in this young man, who you really want to succeed and conclude the “quest” he has given himself.
In the end, “Toyko Uber Blues” is a very heart-warming feature, but also somewhat provocative, as the journey of the director working for Uber Eats may be a reflection of so many struggling to keep up, to compete and to survive.
