Masahiko Sato, Yutaro Seki and Kentaro Hirase met at Tokyo University Of The Arts and have been working together since 2012. Their first short film “Happoen” (2014) was invited to the Cannes Film Festival short film competition. Since 2020, they have been active as the directors' collective gogatsu. After several more internationally successful short films, they made their first feature film “Roleless” in 2022, which was screened in competition at the 2022 San Sebastian Film Festival.
Roleless is screening at Nippon Connection
The film begins showing Miyamatsu, the protagonist of the movie, as a samurai who almost immediately gets killed. It is soon revealed though, that his death was part of a jidaigeki movie, with him, seconds later, getting up, running to an assistant on the set who redresses him, only to die once more a bit later. Miyamatsu is actually a movie extra, which is probably the only interesting aspect of his life that also doubles (pun intended) as a cable car operator. He seems to have no family, no friends, and essentially no social connection to anyone, while it is soon revealed, through some flashbacks, that he barely remembers his past. When an old acquaintance appears in the studio set he is working, though, he finds a connection with his actual former life.
Combining the popular meta concept of a movie about a movie with a social drama that also entails an element of mystery and eventually becomes a family drama seems like an idea that combines all the popular elements of Japanese (contemporary) cinema in a single pack. Furthermore, the slow pace, the lack of tension but on very few brief moments, the inclusion of Teruyuki Kagawa and Kanji Tsuda in the cast, and the fact the there are some unnecessary scenes close to the end, essentially deem “Roleless” the archetypical Japanese movie of our times, at least when considering the titles we get to see in the West.
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This, however, is not a bad thing, and actually works quite well for the movie, at least for the most part, also due to one exception to the rules: the film is actually just 87 minutes long. The sense of disorientation that derives from the fact that Miyamatsu's roles occasionally look rather realistic, blurring the border between movie and reality, and the fact that he suffers from memory loss, result in an imposing atmosphere that actually carries the movie almost for the whole of its duration. Moreover, the way flashbacks from the past gradually reveal that something dramatic must have happened previously, and the actual revelation of the events and its aftermath, are all handled exceptionally, in a trait that should also be attributed to the editing, which was also handled by the three directors. This approach actually tones down significantly the negative impact of the almost complete lack of tension in the movie.
Shigeto Kuni's cinematography, with the many close ups to Kagawa's face and the overall bleak coloring also works well for the atmosphere, with the lack of difference in coloring between the sets and actual life adding to the general aesthetics.
Evidently, the one who carries the whole thing on his shoulders for the most part is Teruyuki Kagawa in the protagonist role, who gives another astonishing performance, in all the hypostases he portrays in the film (his various roles, his current self, his past self, his transformation from one to the other). Kagawa, also gaining the most by his characteristic face, is always excellent in the roles of creepy guys, and in “Roleless”, this trait finds one of its apogees. Kanji Tsuda and the way he manages to appear both kind and dangerous at the same time is also notable. Noriko Nakagoshi's performance adds to the whole sense of mystery and disorientation that permeates the movie.
Lastly, through the whole persona of Miyamatsu, the three directors make a number of mostly sociophilosophical comments, revolving around the concept of identity, particularly regarding actors, the way the movie industry works regarding the non-stars, family and memory.
“Roleless” may be a bit ‘too Japanese' on occasion, but the combination that makes up its narrative actually works quite well, while the movie deserves a look just for the performance of Teruyuki Kagawa. Fans of modern Japanese cinema will find very little not to like here.
