Dolls(2002)
Directed by Takeshi Kitano
Starring: Miho Kanno, Hidetoshi Nishijima, Tatsuya Mihashi
Genre: Drama
Running Time: 114mins

Rating:

Matsumoto takes care of his catatonic girlfriend Sawako following a failed suicide attempt. Ageing yakuza Hiro comes to terms with his regrets of the life and the woman he left behind at the park bench of Saitama. Disfigured pop idol Haruna lives in isolation following a car accident, only to be tracked down by an obsessive fan. These are the tales of Takeshi Kitano's latest film played out amidst traditional Bunraku, a marionette theatre in which the dolls controlled by their masters are brought to life. The rest, is fate.

The highly anticipated 10th feature from Kitano, Dolls, has met with varied responses. Regardless of my own opinion of the film, I can perfectly understand the love / hate split for this movie, for with Dolls, Kitano has truly marked a departure from his tried and tested output. Gone is the offbeat style, gone are the momentary punctures of violence, gone it seems is the humour, but in its place is possibly one of Kitano's finest achievements, a humane film filled to the brim with emotions; love, pain, frustration, anger, happiness, regret - this is another step in Kitano's growth as one of Japan's finest artists.

There are arguments that suggest that the experience of Dolls is nothing more than a series of beautiful compositions. And while this is true in the sense that both the sumptuous score (by regular Joe Hisaishi) and the truly stunning cinematography (Katsumi Yanagishima clearly inspired by the films of David Lean) are worthy of its running time alone, there is much more to be appreciated in the story which, although for the most part is wordless, still manages to unearth every last emotion from its minimalist plot.

This is in no small part due to the expressive performances of its talented cast. Of particular note is Miho Kanno as the tortured soul of Sawako, an impressive, sympathetic performance that relies almost entirely upon her body gestures and facial expressions as Kitano strips away dialogue in favour of suggestion; it's a difficult task to achieve but Kitano succeeds admirably.

Also worthy of praise is Tatsuya Mihashi as the ageing Yakuza Hiro, a man tortured by regrets from his past learning that time doesn't wait for change. Continuing the expressive nature of the acting, Mihashi is a class act revealing subtle cracks within his tough exterior perfectly representing the theme of happiness on the surface and sadness of the soul.

As a result of this expressive, often wordless approach to the proceedings, it is difficult to comment specifically on the acting abilities of all concerned, however, throughout the film the messages and themes are conveyed and understood without fail, whether it be through the means of performance or in Kitano's continued mastering of editing and direction. Continuing to experiment with chronology Kitano predicts, and explores both past and future in his own inimitable style filling the screen with striking images of breathtaking beauty of seasonal Japan while contrasting them with the presence of our tragic characters. It's just one of the many astounding, aesthetically beautiful uses of symbolism that makes up the main body of Kitano's cine-poem, as scene after scene burns into your memory fresh images that deserve their place within the "every frame as a painting" school of Kurosawa and Mizoguchi. Such is the quality of Yanagishima's exemplary work on Dolls that Kitanos film could fill the Louvre.

Aside from the excellence of both performance and technical excellence, however, the storyline to Dolls does suffer from some minor shortcomings. While the tales of Matsumoto, Sawako and Hiro are solid, timeless stories through which the themes are woven - the modernised tale concerning pop idol Haruna feels a little off-key as a result of its sinister undertones. Uncertain of whether he is making a tale of obsession or admiration Kitano struggles to succeed at presenting an ambiguously touching tale that is at its very heart a dark and disturbing character study of loneliness and superficiality. Added to this is an error of judgement with the films eventual climax that left me cold as the credits came up. Had the film concluded literally only moments earlier it would have been an overall satisfying ending, however, such is not the case and as a result there is a sense of dissatisfaction as the film leaves you.

It took two days of reflection before coming to write this review, and those two days have allowed me to garner a greater understanding of Kitano's film, and a greater appreciation of the experience of watching it. With hindsight I re-watched the film from beginning to end, and while the flaws remain, these shortcomings are nothing but drops in the ocean, minor errors in a film so rich in emotion and imagery. It is a film that teaches us to appreciate love and loss, sadness and joy. They say that Miike has taken over Kitano's reign of the Yakuza movie, and so now Kitano is moving onto other pasteurs. If this is the new Kitano then it is a place I would be more than happy to re-visit time and time again. Stunning, hypnotic, emotional and worthwhile Dolls is a modern masterpiece.