The concept of the implementation of nuclear energy in Japan, and the particular lobby, has been the source of many movies in local cinema, essentially succeeding (continuing one could say) the one about the nuclear bomb. Kazuo Kuroki, in one of his finest works, also explores the same theme, in a noirish crime film produced by the Art Theatre Guild, part of which was, chillingly, shot around Fukushima.
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The story is based on Soichiro Tahara’s novel and takes place in a former fishing village that was transformed completely by the nuclear plant that was built in the area. As the movie begins, Sakata, a man who stands out like a sore thumb with his white suits, sunglasses and uncombed hair, arrives into town searching for Nozomi Aoba. It seems she was a student in Tokyo, whom Sakata pimped, but eventually returned to her hometown unbeknownst to him, and that he is now there in search of her, additionally because their relationship seems to have been more than a ‘professional’ one.
To his shock, though, he finds out that the girl was recently found dead on the shore, along with an engineer at the nuclear plant, Yamazaki. Not believing that she killed herself, as the police has deemed her death a double suicide, he starts investigating by himself, eventually joined by a local reporter, Nogami. Yamazaki’s wife, Asuka, a mysterious femme fatale-type also helps him in her effort to reveal the truth about her husband, but also strikes an erotic relationship with the newcomer. Meanwhile, more bodies start to appear, all having to do something with the case, while Mamoru Aoba, Nozomi’s brother and one of the leading figures of the area, becomes part of the ‘equation’. Lastly, Tsubasa, the younger daughter of the family, also finds herself attracted to Sakata.
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Kazuo Kuroki manages to retain a wonderful balance among all the elements the narrative consists of, coming up with a film that is both entertaining and contextually rich. The first one and the one encompassing all the others is the issue of nuclear energy, its lobby, and the corruption that derives from it, involving authorities, politicians, the press, and essentially all the system. The critique here is quite intense, with even terms like “China Syndrome” being mentioned. Furthermore, the final part of the movie, where the focus turns to Nogami from Sakata, essentially takes a documentary-like approach, with his talk with the expert being quite informative of what was happening at the time, even if somewhat on-the-nose in terms of presentation.
The crime that is the other focal point here is directly connected, with Kuroki showing that almost all violence taking place in the film essentially derives from this. The noir aspect, with the newcomer in the small city who becomes a detective of sorts and the femme fatale he gets involved with is also well implemented and combined with the rest of the elements. The fact that Sakata is a yakuza and that he ends up cooperating with a reporter while repeatedly showing his tender side (always to women never to men) move in the same noirish path, and also work quite well for the narrative. Lastly, the erotic element, if somewhat disconnected, is realistically portrayed and organically implemented in the story, adding an appealing sense of sensualism.
It definitely helps with all the aforementioned that the acting and casting is on a rather high level. Yoshio Harada plays his usual type of rowdy, handsome brute, but the fact that he finds himself among powers much beyond him help his performance to stand out, particularly in the moments he does not appear all-powerful. Kei Sato as Nogami plays the disillusioned cheeky reporter with issues with gusto, with his antithesis, in all aspects, with Sakata being one of the most appealing aspects of the whole movie, along with the chemistry the two share. Sayoko Yamaguchi as Asuka lingers in the film like a feline in the most impressive way, presenting the mysterious femme fatale archetype to perfection. Lastly, Jun Fubuki as Tsubasa presents how lost she is due to her family issues and the fact that her sister, whom she looked up to, is now dead.
Sakae Negishi’s cinematography captures the setting in a way that can only be described as ominous, with the juxtaposition of the restless sea, the beach and the nuclear plant, particularly through his long shots, resulting in a very appealing antithesis that also mirrors the narrative here. The combination with Teizo Matsumura’s music adds to this sense, in a film that appears and sounds occasionally like a western. The editing results in a relatively fast tempo, which slows down in the documentary-like scenes mentioned above, always, though, in a fashion fitting for the story. The montage of the finale, which shows the fate of all protagonists, is the moment where all the technical aspect, but also the narrative, finds their apogee, in a truly magnificent sequence.
Although a bit on-the-nose on occasion, “Lost Love” is, nevertheless, an excellent film, working equally as a crime drama and a critique of the system, in yet another testament to the quality of the productions that came out of the ATG
