Apart from films that deal with bullying, which occasionally present schoolkids as truly sinister personas (“Confession” easily comes to mind), what usually permeates Japanese movies is an accusation towards the previous generations, whose members mostly shine through their absence and are uncaring to the point of neglect. And although this aspect is found also in “Gold Boy”, the villains here are definitely the youths and the previous generation the victims. The movie is based on a successful series that streamed on iQiyi platform.
Gold Boy is screening at New York Asian Film Festival
The story takes place in Okinawa where we meet 13-year-old Asahi, who lives in a rundown house with his mother, Kaori, after his father, Ippei, divorced her and has remarried with a woman who also had a daughter of her own from a previous marriage. Asahi is visited by his friend Hiroshi and his half-sister, Natsuki, who are on the run after the latter stabbed her abusive father, and believes she has killed him. Asahi tells them they are safe with him and the three even take a trip to the beach, where they start taking pictures.
As Asahi does the deed, he accidentally captures Noboru Azuma throwing both his parents-in-law from a cliff, both members of the all-powerful in the island Higashi family. It turns out that the deed was part of a plan by Noboru, who is married to the daughter of his victims, Shizuka, to become the sole recipient of the estate of the family. The girl, who is cheating on him with another guy, soon after the murder informs police officer Higashi, also a member of the family, of her suspicions of her husband’s plans. His hands, however, are tied, due to the lack of evidence and the meddling of his higher ups. Meanwhile, Asahi convinces his two “comrades” to extort Noboru for money, and soon a vicious cat-and-mouse game begins.
Evidently, the best aspect of the movie is the script/story, with Shunsuke Kaneko and writer Takehiko Minato implementing the plethora of characters in order to present an intriguing tale that has the upper hand changing a number of times. This sense actually, as the battle between Asahi’s gang, Noboru and the police rages on, that is difficult to discern what will happen in the end, actually carries the movie from beginning to the finale, while retaining a very appealing sense of agony and tension.
Apart from the case, the fact that the grown-ups, the rich and powerful, even the authorities, essentially fall victim to the cold and manipulating ingeniousness of the poor youths is a rather original element that also works quite well here. Some accusation towards parents does exist, for their past mistakes and their inability to truly understand their children and youths in general, but that they are the victims here is definitely the case, through a cruelty that is bound to make the audience sympathize with them, particularly due to the fate they share. Even Ippei’s wife, who initially emerges as a paranoid bully, eventually also takes the role in the harshest fashion, in an aspect, however, that finds its apogee in the scene with the interaction between Asahi and Kaori.
Expectedly, the events and the story in general do not focus on realism, but considering this is essentially a fable aiming to entertain through its characters and intricate case, the result is definitely successful.
The acting is on a rather high level. Jinsei Hamura as Asahi gives an astonishing performance, highlighting his sociopathic mentality and his ability to lie in the most convincing fashion, in a way that makes it really hard not to focus on him. His interactions with his mother, who is rather convincingly played by Haru Kuroki, and most of all, with Natsuki, who is also nicely portrayed by Anna Hoshino, are probably the best aspect of the movie. This element also leads to an overall mocking of the concept of love, either it is between family members or romantic, in another unusual as much appealing element here.
Masaki Okada as Noboru is quite good in his constant smugness, in a style that makes the moments he loses his composure all the more impactful. Yosuke Eguchi as officer Gen is convincing in his portrayal of both his naivety and his doggedness, cementing the overall great job done in the acting and casting here.
DP Katsumi Yanagijima highlights the difference in the setting the rich and the poor inhabit in the island in a way that becomes part of another comment in the movie, regarding discrepancy, although his visuals are a bit too polished on occasion. Chieko Suzaki’s editing results in a relatively fast pace that suits the effort to present a rather intricate story in the 129 minutes of the movie.
“Gold Boy” is an excellent film, particularly due to its story and acting, and one that will appeal to all fans of crime films.
