A Scene At The Sea (1991)
Directed by Takeshi Kitano
Starring: Kuroudo Maki, Hiroko Oshima
Genre: Drama/Romance
Running Time: 104mins

Rating:

Coming Soon.

Kitano proves himself the genius he is with this incredibly touching, beautifully poetic film. Some might argue that the slow pace and the lack of dialogue is a detriment to the film, but I would say that this film is all the more for it (or lack of for that matter). This is a snapshot of a summer for deaf couple Shigeru (a garbage man who dreams of becoming a surfer) and his partner Takako (who follows dotingly behind). It's a beautifully constructed romance that provides many moments of Kitano's trademark humour while also acting as a pre-cursor to the tenderness he would later show in Hana-Bi.

We're talking simple suggestive scenes here that wrangle out the raw emotions effortlessly, this isn't the heavy handed romance we're spoon fed from Hollywood or melodramatic Asian cinema - this is something as simple as a look or a touch - something that speaks so much louder than overly sentimental proclamations of love.

There are moments here, which eschew a feeling of genuine care and love that I have never before seen in a film. It's believable, it's real and that's exactly why this film works so well. The two leads perform admirably with restrained performances never uttering a word yet conveying a range of emotions that hit home hard. One scene in particular where Takako rushes from a bus journey to meet Shigeru and join him on his long walk home can't help but bring a smile to even the most jaded of viewers.

A Scene At The Sea succeeds by presenting its audience with instantly relatable moments of life observed in a consistently unbiased tone, these nostalgic snapshots are presented with a raw filmmaking style that allows us simply to observe. However, it's too easy to merely say the style that Kitano adopts is simplistic (which seems to be a case whenever a camera does not whip pan, or crane for each scene), for this film the style is far from simplistic it's actually very complex. The acute observations, the small details that fill the background of each frame, the way each character's eccentricities are all subtly introduced - combine to make A Scene At The Sea stand-out as a masterwork from Kitano.

There are problems with the film though, a twist in the tale comes unexpectedly and against the grain of both audience expectation and desire, however, the resolution (a collection of all the actors involved lining up for a moment of levity interspersed with scenes of "our" couple) more than outweighs the momentary disappointment cementing one last smile on our faces before the credits roll alongside yet another outstanding emotional score from regular collaborator Joe Hisaishi.

Given the time and patience (after all you do have to be in the mood to watch this due to its pacing which can either be seen as frustrating or stunningly tranquil) A Scene At The Sea would surely find a place as yet another highly recommended entry to Kitano's already more than impressive catalogue of films.