Art Portfolio: Category C

FRINQ 131K

Art Portfolio

02/23/16

Ana Plugatar

Category C: Northwest Film Festival

百円の恋

100 Yen Love

(Masaharu Take, Japan)

100 Yen Love is a Japanese sports drama, directed by Masaharu Take, screenplay by Shin Adachi, music composed by Shogo Kaida, starring Sakura Ando and Hirofumi Arai.

Synopsis:

An ambitionless 32-year-old slacker Ichiko (Ando) still lives with her parents in a small crowded apartment above a family owned café. Because of the dysfunctional relationship with her sister, after another spontaneous fight, Ichiko is forced to pack her things and leave in search of her own place. She gets a job at a store that sells every item for 100 yen. It is not the nicest place, but nevertheless- it’s a start and a turning point for her. Every day on her way home she passes by a local boxing gym, to lustfully watch an amateur boxer Kano (Arai) train. She starts an awkward romantic relationship with him after they spent a day at the zoo.

While observing Kano fight, Ichiko is mesmerized by the sport and they way boxers pat each other on the back after the final bell. After the fight, her creepy co- worker Noma acts irrationally under the influence of alcohol and decides to express his long interest in Ichico. This leads into some very unpleasant observations that, alongside the cheating boyfriend, lead her into a life changing decision. She begins her training from the bottom, making her way through pain with the memories of a lifetime of physical and emotional abuse, all the way into a professional debut in a boxing ring. However she never gets her perfect win, even after a hell of a fight.

Critique:

The film is following the classical Hollywood narrative of an abused, underestimated individual struggling through personal and social misconceptions for a better future and true love. It is filled with cliché moments that are still strangely appealing, like a slow motion medium shot she follows out to a final debut.

Shooting a rape scene in close- up made for a fantastic effect- it is so deeply disturbing and appalling I held back a gag.

Overall, it is a well made, well acted out motion picture with a great idea of the position of moral values and self worth in a society. The non- diegetic sound resonates perfectly with humorous remarks and shifts in the narrative, and an extraordinary performance by Ando gives the picture a real flair.

One of the most interesting aspects in film analysis is character development. Ichico starts out as a complete mess, given up on any hope of proving useful or starting a successful relationship. The director decided to link her personality with the choice of specific art direction in her hairdo. In the beginning of the movie her hair is all in her face, covering most of it, unkempt and dirty, hanging loosely in the air with no order whatsoever, much like herself. She is shying away from any form of human contact, especially with the people closest to her, like parents or siblings. She is wearing her pajamas while walking the streets. It was about when she got recruited, after filling out a resume right there in front of her employer, that her appearance began to change. She is still not the chattiest type, ignoring any form of small talk, but she is dressed in a professional uniform and a bit more of her face is noticeable.

Most dramatic change happens when Ichico begins to make progress in her training. She cuts off her long disoriented locks and starts wearing a ponytail. That is when we realize this reoccurring motif has been a metaphor for her self-sabotage and coping with social abuse and, like a veil or a curtain, is finally being lifted to reveal her full potential.