While I have seen my fair share of Japanese
cinema, I am not too well versed in the work of director Kon Ichikawa. I did find his film career to be quiet a fascinating
one that spans from 1945 well into 2006. Through watching his films alone you
would be able to see the ways Japan has transitioned into modernity as a nation
and in film. Some of his works are easier to come across than others, (His documentary of the 1965 Tokyo Olympics
is no longer in print by Criterion and is now being sold for hundreds of
dollars online). Apart from a film review that was written by the New York Times in 1981 I found little to
no information about his film Lonely
Heart (1981). I have to admit I was very lucky to have come across the
film, let alone with English subtitles.
My choice to lay down one evening and get
comfortable watching Lonely Heart was
not motivated by anything in particular. I had no background on the film prior to
deciding to watch it, and I am not usually very interested in foreign films
prior to 1990. But Lonely Heart
touched on all the things that an avid film watcher like me never finds
tiresome; murder, mystery, and crime. It is based on the
book Lady, Lady, I Did It an earlier work
in the crime series 87th
Precinct by American novelist and Bestselling Author Ed McBain.
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| Niwako, Kito's Fiance |
The premise of the story is that there has been
a shooting at a local bookstore leaving three people dead. One of the victims
is the fiancé/girlfriend of the police officer on the case. As the police
department work to find out who is behind the shooting in the bookstore the
story becomes about the lives of the policemen who are investigating the crime.
One being the man who was engaged to the victim, and the other being a father of
two whose wife has just left him to raise their kids alone.
Ed Mcbain’s work was written 20 years prior
(1961) to the release of Ichikawa’s film. And the book itself has not aged very well in
terms of its attitudes to abortion, and the use of excessive force by police
officers (you can read it for free if you have Kindle Unlimited if you are interested).
Mcbain wrote this book before abortion was legalized by any states . I
don’t want to get too much into the details now because I plan to address Kinchawa’s
localization of plot and ideas of the American crime novel later, but I do want
to say that it is quite interesting for Kinchawa to adapt such a novel into a
film in Japan.
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| Establishing Shot of Japan |
The film takes on a brown tone, and it’s not very
vibrant. In one shot near the very beginning of the movie, trucks are filmed driving
by as exhaust blows into the to camera leaving behind a thick dark cloud of gas. It
might have not be as early as 1981, but Japan is thought to have been booming
during the 80’s. While I do see the bustling of people, the city itself is
dark.
One thing about the plot that never really made
sense, was how Detective Kito (Toshiyuki
Nagashima) was able to be on the case with such personal ties to the
victim. When Kito and Murakami (Yutaka
Mizutani) finally nab the killer it’s almost hard to watch as Kito almost
beats the man close to death. We all know that Kito shouldn’t be the
case in the first place to arrest him. In the actual book Murakami’s character
covers for Kito's excessive beating of the murderer by writing in the report that
the culprit was resisting arrest even though we as the reader know that wasn't
really the case. The mystery of the murderer didn't play as large a part in the
film as the actual personal lives of the policemen. There isn’t very much “whodunit”
because the only clue that really drives the policemen to the culprit is the
dying words of one of the victims. For
the actual book the dying word is “carpenter” but Ichikawa changes it to “udoya”
which is supposed to be local Japanese slang for an udon and soba noodle shop I
believe. At first the policemen don't know what “udoya” means but once they do,
the culprit quickly becomes clear.
Detective
Kito had made up his mind that either he or his fiancé Niwako (Rie Nakahara) were the target of the
murder. In trying to investigate who would possibly want to kill his fiancé the
police learn that she was helping a family that used to be a part of social
welfare until they learned that the mother was lying to the system. Niwako was
continuing to help the family even though she was taken off the case, the
younger daughter, Midori, of the family has been molested by her older brother
and in turn was pregnant. Niwako was to meet Midori the same day she was murdered in order meet her to stay in a hotel Niwako booked for Midori after having an abortion. The abortion did
not go well though, and in turn she wounds up dying waiting for Niwako who
never shows up. When the female doctor who performed the abortion first says
that it is Niwako that made the girl go through with it, for a moment the policemen
question this angelic and nurturing image that we have known of Niwako so far.
It is the idea that there is no way that such a women could suggest a young girl to have an abortion. Of course she is not the one who suggested the idea, but rather it is the pseudo-ill and insane mother
who is using her child for a paycheck. She is painted as an antagonist and is also the women who demanded the abortion. In a flashback Niwako suggests that Midori
tells the father before making such a decision, but this is before she learns
that her brother is the father.
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| Midori's mother admitting Goichi(Midori's brother) is the father in a tilted shot |
What
I would like to know from this particular point in the film is whether abortion
in 1981 Japan is legal. Also, does it have the same taboos of 1961 United States? The film does not seem to harp too much on
it, but Midori is presented a victim in the whole ordeal. The abortion is lucrative and secretive, but knowing that Midori is a victim of rape and incest her decision to have an abortion does not appear evil more than it is a sad choice that she must make.
Changing
gears, the relationship between Detective Murakami and his son and daughter was
very endearing. His son is too cute, and it’s so well done how the daughter
slowly takes on the motherly role in the home through things such as reorganizing
the kitchen and washing the potatoes in the washer to prepare dinner. Without
being said we know she feels the pressure to grow up fast and take on these
traditional female roles that her mother has left absent by her absence. His
daughter has to be no older than 7 or 8 and it astounds me that Murakami
constantly takes on these tasks that requires him to leave his children home
alone.
Over
all, plot wise the film was pretty underwhelming but I did enjoy watching
extreme long shots and establishing shots of 1981 Japan. It was an interesting
introduction to Kon Ichikawa’s work and I will have to watch more of his work
in the future. Look out for my future thoughts on his other works. Any
particular one you believe I should start with?