Review of Kikujiro

Introduction

When it comes to feel-good movies, films that touch the heart and lift the spirit, Takeshi Kitano is probably not the first name that springs to mind. Associated mostly with the Japanese gangster genre in the West, audiences here are less aware of his broad range. But with Kikujiro, he creates a road movie that will leave a lasting impression, a tale of a wholly unconventional friendship.

Masao is a nine-year-old boy who lives with his grandmother. At a loose end for the summer holidays, he gets the idea of meeting his mother who moved away when he was a baby not long after his father died. Masao is hardly worldly, and when his grandmother`s friend rescues him from some bullies, she assigns her no-good gangster husband to escort him to his mother`s town. Kikujiro begins by investing Masao`s money at the local bicycle races. The two then set off on an unconventional trip, hitchhiking their way across the country, encountering a variety of strange characters.

Video

Blimey, they still make these? We get a bare bones disc with the minimum specifications from Pathé! This one is a 1.85:1 letterbox transfer, with the English subtitles (zoom friendly) burnt into the image, on a single layer disc of all things. The UK is certainly short changed in the disc specifications, but going by what sites like DVD Beaver and Rewind say, it`s six of one and half a dozen of the other, with the Japanese letterbox transfer more highly rated than the Dutch anamorphic one. Either way, if you want extra features and a surround track then you`ll have to look abroad.

Having said that, the letterbox transfer that the UK disc gets is clear and sharp, and though the lower resolution is apparent, there are no digital artefacts to mar the image. In fact, the only thing that really annoyed me is that the disc autoswitches to 4:3, so that even if you have your television in zoom mode, you`ll have to reselect it when you play the disc.

Audio

All you get with this disc is a DD 2.0 Stereo Japanese soundtrack. The dialogue is clear, and everything is firmly confined to the front speakers. It`s worth mentioning regular Ghibli contributor Joe Hisaishi`s soundtrack. It`s memorable and perfectly suited to the film, well worth looking up a soundtrack CD for.

Features

Nothing

Conclusion

Why is it that all the best films get dismal releases, while box office tat will get multiple versions with hours and hours of extras? If there was any justice in the DVD industry, then Kikujiro would get the laser sharp transfer, DTS soundtracks and extra feature goodness it deserves. If you haven`t figured it out by now, I love this film. I was smitten the first time I saw it on a late night BBC4 showing, and was dismayed to see that the DVD had been deleted. It`s since been re-released by Pathé!, and I was quick to snap up a copy.

It is a road movie most certainly, but one that has a gentle, tender, heartfelt story to tell, more "Wizard of Oz than Wim Wenders" as Beat Takeshi has been reported as saying. At its heart is the relationship that develops between the shy nine-year-old boy Masao and the retired small time gangster Kikujiro. Kikujiro is the sort of man who bullies and blusters his way through life, using his considerable presence to achieve his ends. But as the relationship grows, the two learn that they have something in common.

The charm of the film is that it is told from Masao`s point of view, as he relates the adventures that he has that summer. The film perfectly captures an idyllic moment in childhood, but to its credit it never descends to schmaltz and sugarcoated fantasy. It actually has a realism behind the childhood vision that earns it the 12 rating. In one of Masao`s diversions, he falls prey to one of those perverted businessmen that you hear tell of, before Kikujiro can rescue him. The film never descends into prurience, but it also isn`t afraid of giving this event consequences. Like a lot of nine-year-old children, Masao is naïve and trusting, and a rude awakening to the harshness of the world is going to have an effect. Similarly, when Kikujiro runs into characters that he can`t intimidate, Masao has to deal with the aftermath.

Like most road movies, this film is more about the journey than the destination, and aside from a couple of dark diversions, Masao`s journey is filled with magic and delight as he accompanies Kikujiro across the country. They meet all sorts of characters and get into various adventures, as Kikujiro can`t help letting his larcenous streak dictate his actions. Masao is played by Yusuke Sekiguchi, and unlike most children in movies, his performance is more natural and real. In fact, it`s fair to say hat he isn`t that great an actor. But the editing, the soundtrack and other actors all come together to make it work, and the film actually creates a performance that isn`t there. Masao is a cipher, and we empathise with him because we invest him with the feelings that we would have in those situations. Of course with such a colourful character as Kikujiro created by Takeshi Kitano filling the screen, there is plenty to appreciate about this film.

Kikujiro is magical, heart-warming, moving and tender. It`s a memorable experience that will stay with you long after the end credits have rolled, and it captures a child`s experience in a way that no other film manages. Kikujiro is a perfect little movie that I have no hesitation in recommending. In fact I urge you to watch it. It`s just a shame that the perfection doesn`t apply to the disc specifications.