Humanity, cleanliness, memories, and self-worth are explored in Ikunosuke Okazaki's latest drama, “Wash Away,” a film with good intentions but rather average execution. In the movie, Okazaki focuses on the business operations of soaplands, bathhouse services where women wash men's bodies. The practice, while common in Japan, is controversial due to many merely viewing the operation as a front for prostitution. Alongside this story component are plot elements of caring for the older generation. Much was based on the director's experiences caring for his grandmother, who has dementia.
Wash Away is screening at Osaka Asian Film Festival
Kana lives a glamorous lifestyle and works at a Tokyo soapland where she washes men's bodies. Despite the consistent income, she feels uncertain about her future due to the negative perception of her work profession, and suffers from loneliness. One day, she is asked by her family to help care for her long-forgotten grandmother, Kie, who is suffering from dementia. While she initially takes up the position, Kana becomes frustrated since her grandmother frequently forgets her name. Yet, upon reflection, the two bond and help one another through their struggles closely. This support includes Kana knowing her self-worth and Kie preserving her memories at this stage in her life, including her past as a passionate saxophonist.
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“Wash Away” has its heart in the right place, promoting a positive message of overcoming loneliness, building self-worth, and preserving memories of loved ones. There's an appealing feminist quality to the feature with Kana's evolution and Kie's strong will. Yet, the overall storytelling is bland, feeling very ‘been there, done that', relying on cliches without much distinguishing it from any other typical tearjerker. For what's meant to be a character drama, it's very by the numbers. Familiarity is not automatically bad, so long as a picture can establish an identity and do something interesting with those tropes. However, the general narrative structure is so blatantly formulaic that the audience can see any dramatic conflicts coming from a distance and with an obvious clear resolution ahead of time. The movie's lack of footing is further hurt by the direction, which is rather contrived. The script suffers from clear predictability, and the drama lacks weight. It's a shame cause once in a while, viewers get a heartwarming exchange between the characters or a cute, amusing moment that warrants a smile, but this are merely scattered bits in the flawed picture.
Despite this, the acting is very good. The film's strongest quality is the performances by Yuuka Nakao and Naoko Ken, who both do a great job in their respective roles. Kana and Kie feel like a real adult grandchild recoiling with their grandmother, enhanced by believable chemistry. Nevertheless, their story could have been more impactful if the overall directing and screenplay had been tighter.
Visually, the film is competently shot. However, the editing is often distractingly bad. When it's not playing out like a poorly directed music video, it's often downright headache-inducing, even feeling amateurish. Whether this was intentional or not, it makes many scenes feel awkwardly put together. The music score is a mixed bag, sometimes feeling appropriate enough while other times feeling jarringly out of place.
“Wash Away” certainly benefits from two fine performances by Yuuka Nakao and Naoko Ken, along with occasional heartwarming moments. Yet, there's not much to gauge, as the movie doesn't have much of its own identity, coupled with an uneven script and awkward editing. Because of these issues, it becomes hard to distinguish it from other formulaic melodramas. Not awful, but nothing special.
