Bad Poetry
Bad Poetry:- Japanese feature. Raindance 26th Festival 2018. Vue Piccadilly London.
A story which would be also suitable in smaller “bites” in a series/soap.
Indian writer and director Anshul Chauhan has created a dark, disturbing yet mostly watchable soap opera of a story about a young woman, Jun, a person whether we’re not sure we really care for, especially at the start of the saga. She is a hostess in Tokyo with a long haired feisty boyfriend (Boyfriend One) who loves having sex with her and keeping an eye on her money-making enterprises in the local nightclub. But her pimp is so demanding she loses it with her best customer and at the same time, “Boyfriend One” has arranged for his friend to rob her of her stash of cash as he is short of money. There are undeniably very hard to watch scenes as her stash is stolen and she ends up with damage and gashes to her face so her dream of going to Hollywood to star in a movie she has been selected for are ruined. Boyfriend One and his friend then fight about it as violence was not originally on the menu?
Actress Suna Iijima who has worked with boyfriend one and boyfriend two actors before (Orson Mochizuki and Shintaro Yonemoto) remarked at the Q and A that there is “big fire” in her character and that can’t be denied. She turns tail and runs back to her family and her European female friend panics who may be in the same dark hostess trade. She is questioned as to where her good friend has gone to hide.
Arriving at the family home proves more contentious than relaxing and wow! All kinds of stuff kicks off before Boyfriend 2 shows up who remembers Jun when she his innocent girlish lover five years before. Jun’s father has failed to tell Jun her mother has died and he is a nasty man accused of sexual abuse and mental cruelty as the plot unfolds.
I would hate to be a spoiler to the plot but set yourself up with some comforting cups of tea or something stronger as you and your friends/family deign to take in this waspish saga of betrayal, love, bad guys, good guys who turn bad and also be prepared not to have a totally conclusive ending where you’re not sure if you want more or wanted less! If you always view films for fun, be cautioned to expect something darker than your average fun viewing.
A member of the audience said it was uncomfortable and there are unresolved mental issues there. That is reasonable but then many people enjoy a mental challenge. It was apparently only 14 days in shooting but 2 months in post production.
The actors had great chemistry together as they have worked in a team before. Boyfriend One has lived most of his life in the USA though is Japanese born. All the team agreed that a good team relationship behind the scenes creates good film viewing with maximum audience participation.
Watch with caution. Issues in this saga should not be ignored.
Penny Nair Price