VILLAGE OF DREAMS
[ENO NAKA NO BOKU NO]
A film review by James Berardinelli
Copyright 1997 James Berardinelli
RATING (0 TO 10): 7.5 Alternative Scale: *** out of ****
Japan, 1996 Running Length: 1:52 MPAA Classification: No MPAA Rating (Mature themes, brief nudity) Theatrical Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Shown at the Philadelphia Festival of World Cinema, 5/6/97 & 5/8/97
Cast: Matsuyama Keigo, Matsuyama Shogo, Harada Mieko, Nagatsuka Kyozo, Komatsu Hosei Director: Higashi Yoichi Producers: Yamagami Tetsujiro, Sho Koshiro Screenplay: Higashi Yoichi and Nakajima Takehiro from the novel THE VILLAGE OF MY PAINTINGS by Tashima Seizo Cinematography: Shimizu Yoshio Music: Caterina Ancient Music Ensemble In Japanese with subtitles
VILLAGE OF DREAMS, the latest feature from respected Japanese director Higashi Yoichi, uses a languorous pace and stunning visuals to tell the simple-yet-effective story of a period in the life of two boys growing up in suburban Kyoto shortly after the conclusion of the second World War. The movie, which transpires in a peaceful, out-of-the-way locale and is told from a child's point-of-view, functions as a reminder of a simpler, less-hurried Japan.
The film is based on the autobiographical account of picture-book artists Tashima Seizo and his twin brother, Yukihiko (who both appear as they are today in a brief prologue). At the age of 8, Seizo and Yukihiko lead a relatively normal existence: they go to school, play pranks, and enjoy halcyon afternoons fishing and capturing small animals. They also have active imaginations. VILLAGE OF DREAMS features more than a dash of magic realism with its depiction of witches in trees, imps hiding in undergrowth, and talking fish.
The simplicity of the plot allows the characters room to grow and breathe. Seizo and Yukihiko are firmly at the center of the film for its entire duration. We see the world through their eyes -- a strange, wonderful, sometimes-frightening place where simple walks in the woods can turn into great adventures. Then, as Seizo and Yukihiko become aware of the differences between the male and female body, the issue of sexual curiosity comes to the fore. There's even a memorable hypothesis about why a girl doesn't have a penis.
Visually, VILLAGE OF DREAMS is a beautiful, evocative piece of work that achieves much of its effectiveness through its visuals of the twins' rural village and the surrounding woods. The film is all about memories and the past -- a retrospective of a society that no longer exists as it once did and a catalyst for us to remember those long-ago days when we gazed upon the world with the wide-eyed enthusiasm of a child.
- James Berardinelli e-mail: berardin@bc.cybernex.net ReelViews web site: http://www.cybernex.net/~berardin
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