Although mostly known in Japan for his eye-catching TV commercials for products such as Kirin Lemon, Hiroshi Ishikawa‘s cinematic endeavors could not be further away from the style he implemented in his TV work. Movies like “Su-Ki-Da”, “Petal Dance”, are all rather subtle, slow, distinctly art-house dramas revolving around women, and in general, competent enough to show that filmmakers from the particular background can actually come up with non-commercial style movies. His debut ,“Tokyo.sora” also falls under the same category.
Tokyo.sora is screening at Five Flavours
The story revolves around 6 young women, each one trying to make it in Tokyo on different levels. Their paths do not coincide in particular, with only one exception, which immediately highlights how this film is quite different from the majority of similar movies. The first one is a Chinese student living in Japan trying to learn the Japanese language while working part-time as an Art Class model. The second is a 25-year old aspiring model who wears glasses, and eventually lands a job handing out paper tissue packets on the streets of Tokyo. The third is a young college student who is just starting a very reluctant relationship with a fellow classmate. The fourth is a young waitress at a coffee shop who always ends up talking about culinary issues with her boss. The fifth is an aspiring hairdresser who also works as a bar hostess, as does a sixth girl, who aspires to be a novel writer and eventually starts cooperating with a magazine editor who liked one of the stories she sent to a competition.
What is the most unusual fact here is that Ishikawa does not distinguish the girls in particular, there is no specific focus here, to the point that, after the movie, one will realize that their names were barely mentioned. The only exception to this are the last two girls, with Yoko (the writer) and Yuki (the hairstylist) being the only ones that essentially stand out, and the former in particular offering something of a focal point.
It is not exactly clear if this was done on purpose by Ishikawa, but assuming it is, one could say that his comment is that in the urban megalopolis, any individual is actually sucked in by the setting, as loneliness and alienation become a common factor for people who are roaming aimlessly their own lives. This approach actually explains the whole directorial approach here, even if some highlights, either in terms of romance or professionally, offer a glimmer of hope in an otherwise rather bleak portrait.
The same applies to the almost complete lack of high points, perhaps with the exception of a couple of events close to the end, which are presented, though, in equally subtle fashion as the rest of the movie, despite their direness. This overall, somewhat detached approach, makes the whole film appear somewhat oneiric, but at the same time, also difficult to follow or empathize with the majority of the protagonists, although Ishikawa’s purpose occasionally seems to do just that. Furthermore, there is some lagging here once more, particularly close to the end, which does not help particularly either.
Apart from context though, it is the cinematic approach that truly makes the movie stand out. Particularly Ishikawa’s own editing is truly unique, with the succession of cuts towards different characters being essentially non-stop, even within the same episodes, in a style that definitely adds to the narrative approach described before. Shoichi Ato’s cinematography captures the mundanity of the lives of the girls, as much as the loneliness they feel to perfection, with both the close-ups and the mid shots being impressively framed. Furthermore, a number of images of the sky (sora means sky in Japanese btw) will definitely stay in mind due to their beauty. Yoko Kanno’s subtle music fits the overall aesthetics too, without standing out in particular, perhaps with an exception when she is vocalizing close to the end.
Considering the approach towards the characters here, the acting is not exactly a stand out. There is an exception however in Yuka Itaya‘s Yoko, who has the meatier role here and definitely stands out in her subdued performance. Particularly the moment she learns the news about Yuki will definitely remain on the mind of anyone who sees the movie. It is also worth mentioning that Teruyuki Kagawa and Hidetoshi Nishijima appear briefly in the movie.
There is beauty in mundanity and Hiroshi Ishikawa seems to have captured it completely in “Tokyo.sora”, a movie with intense emotional depth. At the same time, it is a film essentially addressed only to art-house fans with all the pros and cons the title entails.
