by Anna Gamboa
While it may be tempting to create a tongue-in-cheek review of Eiga Sai’s opening salvo and call it “Sister Act” set in the Edo period, let’s just start off by saying “Kakekomi” is that lovely film that doesn’t just transport you into another place and time, but alters your mindset as well. With its simple opening credits and mostly-calming imagery, it sets the tone for the unfolding story set in the austere period of Yozo Torii’s magistracy, where colorful books and clothes are prohibited, the consumption of sushi considered unnecessarily ostentatious and the importation of foreign goods banned. This is the world where the final installment of “A Tale of Eight Dogs” by Bakin Kyokutei –apparently the period’s version George R. R. Martin’s epic “Song of Ice and Fire”—hasn’t reached completion because the testy and talented old man always manages to lose apprentices faster than he can keep them.
O-Gin, a concubine who seems to have the world at her feet—a wealthy man who adores her, a business to run, a measure of power—decides to steal away to Kamakura. Her reason: and seek shelter at an inn which will grant her access to Tokeiji Temple, where she will eventually gain a divorce from her common-law husband after two years. Jogo, an ironmonger whose lazy husband refuses to work at the smithy, and whose face bears some blisters from the forge—meets O-Gin on her way to the temple and aids the weaker woman when she sprains her ankle, quietly proving her innate resourcefulness matches her toughness. An unusual refugee and nephew of one of the temple elders/advisors, Nakamura Shinjiro, is a doctor aspiring to be a writer, who manages to improve his talents tending to the cloistered patients under the care of the gentle but occasionally fierce (when provoked) abbess Hoshu.
The costume drama has its moments of levity and pathos, well-timed, unforced, and real—not unlike a well-tended bonsai plant that references nature with every carefully-tended outstretched branch and leaf. Indeed, as romance quietly blossoms between Shinjiro and Jogu, one never knows if that affection is returned (because in a refreshing and humorous twist, it’s the man left to agonize onscreen, while the woman cultivates a richer inner life), and what the latter’s plans may be after being granted a divorce. Eventually, tragedy rears itself, reminding the characters and audience that life is truly fleeting, and we must take advantage of every minute to live it according to our terms.
Beautiful and careful production design aligns the look of the costumes and sets to the period, showing a scene where wealthy men flout the prohibitions by having lavish sushi parties featuring prostitutes having their naked backs painted with colorful and suggestive scenes by a talented painter, using a centuries-old temple (weathered and beautiful in its well-constructed austerity), down to O-Gin’s blackened teeth (befitting for her status), and its actors bring the material adapted from Hishashi Inoue’s book to life—giving color to it with their various portrayals, enriching the experience.
Feminist without being preachy, a delight to behold visually, “Kakekomi” is a treat worth watching again. For updates on the screenings, please refer to the JFMO Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/jfmanila
Note: All screenings are free and seats are available on a first-come, first-served basis, but admission process may differ according to venues. Screening venues are at the Shang Cineplex Cinema 2 (July 7 to 17), Abreeza Mall Cinema, Davao (July 22 to 24), FDCP Cinematheque, Davao (July 26 to 30), Cultural Center of the Philippines (July 8, August 6, 9, 10 and 12), SM Baguio Cinema, Baguio City (August 11 to 14), FDCP Cinematheque Baguio (August 15), Ayala Center Cebu (August 17 to 21) and UP Film Institute (August 17 to 20).
