2000 ‘風花’ Directed by Shinji Sōmai
An alcoholic civil servant wakes up under a cherry tree in Tokyo next to a bar hostess with whom he's impulsively made a suicide pact. Though he's now changed his mind, he agrees to travel with her to Hokkaido, her preferred site for ending it all.
Umbrella Flower, Kazahana, 바람꽃, Цветок на ветру, 风花
Russian Federation
CanadaPG
Japan
Canada
Japan
Russian Federation
Are these the days of Saki and Snowflakes...
I haven't noticed it in the comments but I did get a slight Leaving Las Vegas vibe from this. I know a lot of people are saying Drive my Car but I have had the blu ray of that on my shelf for nearly a year un-watched at this point.
Two lonely and damaged people, one a hostess who is suffering depression from the death of her partner and having to give up her child to her parents to raise, the other, let's be honest, an insufferable, spoiled, alcoholic pri*k. They make a drunken suicide pack during a night of drinking at her hostess bar, and then actually end up going to…
Gentle direction from Shinji Sômai and quietly powerful performances from Tadanobu Asano and Kyoko Koizumi elevate a predictable story into a gorgeously melancholy road movie that pulls on the heartstrings but also rewards the viewer for coming along for the ride. Fans of Ryusuke Hamaguchi's Drive my Car (2021) and Ryūichi Hiroki's Vibrator (2003) should consider seeking this out. The characters each have trauma and find living life to be an increasingly hard thing to do, but as they stumble through their struggles together, they realize that maybe they can find closure and things can get better. Kaza-hana may not reinvent the wheel or do anything extraordinary, but it does what it sets out to do well and feels like a tight, comforting hug in the end. And that hug is not only valuable but also something I think we could probably all have a little more of in our lives.
Somai’s final film, made in the midst of his own preparations for dying, like a hard-won but tender-hearted plea to always choose another day of life for as long as one can. Midway between Yamada and Hamaguchi as an informal trilogy of impromptu Hokkaido road trips; a scandal-plagued civil servant awakening from a long night’s drunken bender to figure out that nothing has to be as bad as it sometimes feels. “I’m out here in self-imposed exile, trying to stay on my best behavior!” A rashly made suicide pact, an unlikely friendship with a woman with all her own private reasons for giving into her hurt (“What’s he got to complain about? What a jerk”), a few days spent getting lost in a bright pink jeep like arriving at wherever it is they each need to be. “You just might get me to quit drinking!”
From the director of Love Hotel and Moving. Starring Tadanobu Asano and Kyoko Koizumi as an alcoholic and bar hostess. The tale of two strangers who, after a failed impromptu double suicide, embark on a road trip.
Cinematography is absolutely gorgeous and the sound design highly detailed. There's a real sense of the world just outside the frame.
Melancholy, touching, and at times funny, everything about this movie feels tailor-made just for me.
Going to the end that isn't on sight. Sparkling staging, even when that brightness isn't felt in them. Heartbreaking in the dramatic. The license to live (for others). The same chords that feel like heartbeats repeat as we feel the silent emotions. 120 years have led to this. The laughs are tiny. Frogs mark the return (warm hug).
all too very real and some of its stretches really did induce some sort of anxiety,but it all pays off well by the end.It is also quite something to have been dealing with death and to live in a world where your loved one is dead, and it to be the very last film before somai's passing,a beautiful send-off indeed.
Wish it gets remastered/restored soon,its present print(youtube) is barely visible.Honestly its criminal that both the shinji's,somai and aoyama, have not have had rest of their works restored yet,despite each garnering significant international attention for a work of theirs,hope that changes
I really like films about lonely people.
Has its own unique rhythm and together with the music it quite pulls you in, some moments of quiet poetry and a lovely live-theater Zatoichi performance.
With only two of his films left for me to see, I'm at the point where I can say unequivocally that Somai has become one of my favorite filmmakers of all time. Just a master of his craft and I'm so glad he's beginning to get the attention he deserves thanks to Japan Society and Cinema Guild, among others.
Melancholic, quiet, and ultimately heartwarming. The ending is satisfying and feels like a warm hug. Tadanobu Asano and Kyoko Koizumi are both great.
Shinji Sômai's latest isn't reinventing the genre, but Umbrella Flower is a welcome addition to a collection of films bound by a particular era, genre, and location. Chances are this is a film you have never heard about before, as its reputation is pretty limited, so the discovery potential is considerable. The stellar lead performance by Tadanobu Asano, the crisp styling, and the balance of delicate drama with some rougher edges turn this into a quality film. People who like early Koreeda should make this a priority, though actually getting your hands on the film can be a little challenging.
Full review:
www.onderhond.com/blog/umbrella-flower-review-shinji-somai
