Naomi Kawase-Sharasojyu (2003)

The Aso, a family of four, live in the old town of Nara. On the day of the Jizo Festival in the dizzying heat of midsummer, Kei, one of the Aso's twin boys suddenly disappears, as if he had been spirited away... For the family left behind, the flow of time stopped on that day. Sharasojyu / Synopsis





Five years later. Seventeen-year old Shun, the remaining twin, is a high svhool student, a member of the art club. He is working on a life-sized drawing of his brother, who he has been unable to forget. He and his childhood friend, Yu, share a tentative atttraction, but they are awkward around each other. Shun and Yu and their families all carry emotions that have no release. Each of them is searching for a way out. Then, one day, Yu finds out the secret of her birth. Shun learns what became of his brother. With their losses concealed deep in their hearts, Shun and Yu are about to make a move forward with their lives. Sharasojyu / Synopsis




This feature hails the return of its director Naomi Kawase, six years after winning the Camera d'Or for Suzaku in 1997. Once again the young 35 year old director has chosen to situate Shara in her hometown of Nara, a former Japanese capital. In her previous films she had treated her birthplace, as a place of return or a place of embrace, here she presents Nara as a place of life. Cannes 2003




It recounts the tale of the Aso family who live in the old town of Nara. During a midsummer festival, Kei one of the Aso's twin boys, suddenly disappears. The remaining twin who is now a 17-year-old high school student with a passion for the arts, is to befriend a young woman who is to inadvertently reveal the truth about the disappearance of his brother. Cannes 2003





"When I first had the idea for this film, I wanted to talk about young people's problems and their heartaches. I thought 17-year-olds would be the ideal age group. Originally I was going to base the story, on a newspaper article about a crime committed by a bunch of 17-year-olds. I suddenly changed my mind and decided to make a film about ordinary people. " -Naomi Kawase




"I think ordinary people need far more strength to live than those who commit crimes, I also wanted to focus on the theme of fading away, on the fading away of a part of us. The town of Nara offered the perfect setting with its numerous alleys. When I walk around Nara in the summer heat, I always think to myself that it would be easy to disappear down one of those alleyways. The film's central theme isn't about absence or renewal. It's the story of each and everyone of us and on the loss of a part of who we are" -Naomi Kawase




Shara is a movie with an intimate knowledge of grief: it understands how it never really goes away but stays with you like background noise, sometimes inaudible, sometimes shattering. It's a slow film and director Kawase takes time to let her camera linger on these characters going through their daily routines, but the viewer's patience is rewarded with a festival scene which is beautiful, sublime and extremely moving. (http://imdb.com/title/tt0363060/usercomments)




Shara is about a family living in a (beautifully shot) Japanese town, which is a bit devoid of the modern culture we'd expect from Japan. The people live in a traditional way, and prepare for the annual Shara-festival. The film begins with a beautifully long shot running through the city. Some years ago, the family has experienced a trauma, which they still cannot come to terms with. Everyone is still in denial and shock, and tries to put away their emotions by diverting their attention to something else: making a painting, organizing the Shara festival, etc. We follow the main protagonist, teenager Shun, through life and love after his traumatic youth. He's in love with Yu, who has to deal with her own family problems. The turning-point in the film is the opening procession of the festival itself. It's really exciting to watch the dance with its clapping and shouting, especially in the torrential rain that suddenly starts halfway through. The contrast with the 'restrained' first hour of the film is enormous. After rain comes sun, which is symbolical for the family, maybe even in a cliché way. But it works! It's great cinema. Near the end of the film, a happy family event takes place, which brings hope for the future.It's not an easy film to watch, it's very slow-paced, and some scenes with little activity take some patience to watch. But I think it brings you more on the level of the family and daily events in Nara (it's actually the birthplace of the director). And some beautiful long takes of the city are a joy to watch. (http://imdb.com/title/tt0363060/usercomments)









Links to previous movie posts:

From 1# to 170# please refer to page :
170 Michelangelo Antonioni-Identificazione di una donna (1982)

171 Erick Zonca-La Vie rêvée des anges (1998)
172 Miklós Jancsó-Még kér a nép ('Red Psalm') (1972)
173 F.W. Murnau-Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens (1922)
174 Werner Herzog-Nosferatu, Phantom der Nacht (1979)
175 Peter Greenaway-The Cook, The Thief, His Wife & Her Lover (1989)
176 Yasujiro Ozu-Tokyo monogatari ('Tokyo Story') (1953)
177 Abbas Kiarostami-Ta'm e guilass ('Taste of Cherry') (1997)
178 Bertrand Bonello-Le Pornographe (2001)
179 François Truffaut-L'Homme qui aimait les femmes (1977)
180 György Pálfi-Hukkle (2002)
181 Gillo Pontecorvo-La Battaglia di Algeri (1966)
182 Paolo e Vittorio Taviani-La Notte di San Lorenzo (1982)
183 Aleksandr Dovzhenko-Arsenal (1928)
184 Béla Tarr-Werckmeister harmóniák (2000)
185 Jean-Claude Lauzon - Léolo (1992)
186 Otar Iosseliani-Pastorali (1975)
187 Chris Marker-Sans soleil (1982)
188 Krzysztof Kieslowski-Dekalog 4 (1988)
189 Krzysztof Kieslowski-Dekalog 7 (1988)
190 Krzysztof Kieslowski-Dekalog 8 (1988)
191 Krzysztof Kieslowski-Dekalog 9 (1988)
192 Krzysztof Kieslowski-Dekalog 10 (1988)
193 Robert Bresson-Lancelot du Lac (1974)
194 Tsai Ming-liang - Ch'ing shaonien na cha ('Rebels of the Neon God') (1992)
195 Nuri Bilge Ceylan-Iklimler ('Climates') (2006)
196 Jean-Luc Godard - Soigne ta droite (1986)
197 Milos Forman-Lásky jedné plavovlásky ('Loves of a Blonde') (1965)
198 Luchino Visconti-Morte a Venezia (1971)
199 Naomi Kawase-Sharasojyu (2003)