Collective-geographical creativity is in fashion, in the spirit of political correctness and multiculturalism, introducing the viewer to places where he may not have a chance to visit. And with mores – infinitely alien, but so understandable …
1. Charming secondary. We have already seen – and not without pleasure – “New York stories”, “Paris I love you”, just released “New York, I love you”, just around the corner and “Shanghai, I love you” … This in fashion is collective geographical creativity, in the spirit of political correctness and multiculturalism, acquainting the viewer with places where he may not have a chance to visit. And with morals – infinitely alien, but so understandable … In the case of Tokyo, the tradition is not interrupted: the novellas are shot by already well-known foreign directors: a Frenchman who made a career in America (Gondry), a Frenchman who insists on his cultural authenticity (Carax), and a Korean (Bong Joon Ho).
2. Bold originality. But the stories told in the film are truly original. Gondry’s brother and sister are newcomers to Tokyo; the brother is determined to go into films, the sister is not so sure about the future and, according to some reports, turns into a chair. In Karax: a lunatic organizes heinous provocations on the streets of Tokyo, for which the media called him a “creature from the sewers.” Woo Bong Joon Ho: A reclusive agoraphobe, one of many in this crazy city, falls in love with a pizza delivery girl and is almost ready to leave his hiding place for love.
3. Wonderful initiative. Movie almanacs are good because they allow the world to see the work of significant directors who have fallen into a creative stupor, do not dare to make a big film, but agree to short films in good company. In the case of Tokyo! Leo Carax’s film, once with his “Bad Blood” and “Pont Neuf Lovers” that turned the idea of French cinema upside down, and then fell silent for many years, could become a discovery. In addition, all the scripts here are written by the directors themselves, so we are dealing with a fully-fledged author’s cinema. And finally, in Tokyo! foreign directors work with an almost entirely Japanese cast. Which puts Kipling to shame with his self-confident “West is West, East is East, and they will not leave the place.” They got off and on, and with an interesting artistic result. Cast: Yu Aoi, Yoshiyoshi Arakawa, Ayako Fujitani, Ayumi Ito, Denis Lavant. Available from April 30th. “Interior Design”, “Shit”, “Shaking Tokyo” – each of the authors of the three film novels sees the city in their own way.