Japanese movie director's English debut is rehash
- Reviewed by Pang Li
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China.org.cn, June 17, 2011
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A still from Japanese director Iwai Shunji's English film "Vampire". [File photo] |
Japanese acclaimed director Iwai Shunji put all his signature elements together in his first English-language feature, "Vampire." To fans, Shunji's latest movie looks familiar and enjoyable. But to those who know nothing about him, the movie, though beautifully made, may look weird and far-fetched. It probably won't have a wide appeal in the West.
As Shunji put it, the movie would be a letdown for vampire-genre lovers because of its misleading title. In fact, the movie is not about a pale-faced, blood-sucking freak with supernatural powers. It is about a high school teacher named Simon (played by Kevin Zegers) who tricks suicide-prone young women into ending their lives to collect blood to drink. "Twilight Saga" fans can absolutely forget about it.
Like Shunji's previous works – such as "Love Letter," "Hana & Alice" and "All About Lily Chou Chou" – the movie focuses on young adults who feel insecure and are troubled by the uncertainties of life, especially romantic relations. I must say the director is an expert in those issues. I always resonate with his works. Like his previous movies, this one has the same signature style of cinematography: bright, dreamy and cold, which suits the movie's theme. The music score, composed by the director, is high quality and ear-pleasing but not variable enough, reminding me of those of "Love Letter" and "Hana & Alice." The movie's plot develops slowly and smoothly, just like his other movies. Those parallels will remind Shunji's fans of the director's earlier works. I believe most of the fans, like me, will enjoy it.
But the biggest problem with the movie is that the characters are actually not Westerners. They are Orientals inside and white outside. They like keeping things to themselves; they do not speak out. They carry themselves like Japanese. No wonder, since Shunji wrote the script. A Western audience will likely find the characters strange, although the characters speak English.
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Japanese director Iwai Shunji. [Pang Li/China.org.cn] |
As his first English-language feature, it is reasonable and safe for Shunji to use all the cinematic elements that he is good at. Hong Kong director Wong Ka-wei made his first English-language movie, "My Blueberry Night," this way. But copying oneself could be dangerous. "Vampire" reminds me a lot of scenes from Shunji's previous movies. For instance, the dance sequences at the end clearly refer to "Hana & Alice." They are enjoyable to me but may stretch the movie too long to others. I think it may be good for directors to change themselves in some way, especially those who make a movie in a foreign language, targeting a different audience.
Shunji is so multitalented that he can single-handedly make a movie. In this one, he is the script writer, director, producer, director of cinematography, editor and music composer. He does a superb job in each part.
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