Sep
24
2006
Who’s Camus, Anyway?
Posted by luna6
Movies : Who’s Camus, Anyway / Kamyu nante shiranai /
Release Date : January 14, 2006
Country : Japan
Director : Mitsuo Yanagimachi
Starring : Shuji Kashiwabara, Ai Maeda, Hideo Nakaizumi
Runtime : 115 Minutes
Editor Rating : 8.0
(8 Votes, User Rating: 8.5)
Loading …
Plot Synopsis : “The story is set on the campus of a university in Tokyo. Students from the literature department’s ‘film workshop’ are about to start shooting their movie ‘The Bored Murderer’, part of their course curriculum. Everyone is in a rush to prepare for the shoot, but the lead actor drops out suddenly, and the team is forced to search for a replacement at the last minute. Matsukawa, the director, and Hisada, the first assistant, and other members of the team have their own personal problems with life and love, and the story unfolds ‘just like in the movies’. Matsukawa’s shallow attitude to his girlfriend, Yukari, and the behavior of the mysterious Ikeda, who is to play the lead role of the schoolboy murderer, add to the confusion of the whole situation. As for the one-time director, now lecturer, professor Nakajo, he is also harboring desires for the female student Rei, whilst hiding behind his calm, supportive exterior. Rei, in turn, has a completely different agenda. Everything comes to a head in an unexpected and tumultuous climax.
A movie that starts off fast-paced, reflecting the youthful cast, but which changes dramatically, at times breathtaking, and in the final scenes, heart-stopping.”
Movie Review : Wonderful movie, especially so if you are a film buff or have any interests in the film making process. The seven minute plus opening scene, filmed on location at an actual university in Japan, pays an homage to Robert Altman’s The Player, with its one shot panning sequence that introduces various characters that will come to make up the nucleus of “Who’s Camus, Anyways.” From there you will observe boatloads of name droppings and reference to classic films, particularly directors of French New Wave films. Beyond the movie buff aspect of “Who’s Camus, Anyways”, the movie provides three additional aspects that all combined to make a seriously engaging film.
Since the film centered on the 5 days leading up to making of a student film, the movie was shot on location at an actual Japanese University. A lot of the background shots consisted of actual students participating in real activities on that campus. That provided an interesting glimpse into the campus life at a liberal arts university in Asia and reminded me about the summer I spent at a Korean University. Everything about those scenes were done “real.”
The chaotic nature in which the making of their student film was shown, provided an almost documentary feel to the movie. Additionally, the students all had their own personal problems, as well as dealing with issues that would arise within their film making group. Shuji Kashiwabara, who played the first time student film director Naoki, had the role of someone who was not certain of his ability to direct a film, but determined enough to do so. He had no qualms about using the various ladies in his life for financial support. That part initially turned me off onto his character, but in retrospect I would guess it would be a realistic portrayal of someone in his situation. Ai Maeda, who played the androgynous Ikeda - main actor in the student film, was the most impressive actor of the bunch. He gave a dead on portrayal of someone immersing himself in the role of a murderer. There were quite a few impressive female actresses, all attractive, and Hinano Yoshikawa, who played the neurotic girlfriend to Naoki, might have been the most memorable, just because she spoke like a Chipmunk.
The reason why the film was titled “Who’s Camus, Anyways?” was in reference to the student film that was being made (a film within a film if you will) called “The Bored Murderer.” Ikeda was to perform as the male lead in the “The Bored Murderer,” but did not understand the mindset of the murderer he was to play. His assistant director, Kiyoko, recommended that he read Albert Camus’ The Stranger, to get a better understanding of the mindset of a murderer. The final scene in “Who’s Camus, Anyway?” just so happened to be the climatic murder scene for their student film. As that scene was being filmed, an uneasy feeling started to come about. It was hard to tell whether Ikeda was just acting out his role or immersed himself so much into his character that he may have been killing the person for “real.” Throughout this scene Ikeda narrated his thoughts as he tried to kill the old lady… “Please don’t make any noise, Its harder then you think to kill.” I always viewed Albert Camus “The Stranger.” not so much as a study into the mindset of a murderer, but more of a study into the mindset of someone that was detached from life and lacked any connection with his life. A more appropriate book Kiyoko could have recommended would have been Dostoevsky’s “Crime And Punishment” and the title of the film could have been… “Who’s Dostoevsky, Anyways?”
Bottom line : “Who’s Camus, Anyways” gives a fascinating insight into the movie making process for student filmmakers. The characters in the film were perfectly portrayed as “real” people having real problems, while dealing with the chaos that goes into the making of a collaborative effort like film making.
*Interesting trivia bit - the post-rock band Godspeed! You Black Emperor picked their band’s name from a previous film made by director, Mitsuo Yanagimachi.
buy Who’s Camus Anyway? from YesAsia.com
Cast:
Shuuji Kashiwabara - Matsukawa
Ai Maeda - HisadaTetsuji Tamayama - Hiroshi Nishiura
Hinano Yoshikawa - Yukari
Hideo Nakaizumi - Ikeda
Shinnosuke Abe - Motosugi
Meisa Kuroki - Rei
Mitsunori Isaki - Yoshizaki
Tomorowo Taguchi - Oyama
Hirotaro Honda - Professor Nakajo
2006 Movie Reviews, Movie Reviews |