I wasn't quite sure what to expect from a film with this title. It turns out to be unusual in that the title explains the main character without him having to explain himself.

But this is an interesting, unpretentious and darkly comic drama about a lonely semi-employed graduate who seems unable to find anything to inspire him in life. However, he gets far more than he expects when he gets a casual job in a bathhouse, motivated mostly by trying to get to talk to an old schoolmate who is a regular. The bathhouse turns out to be a front for certain Yakuza activities. And the shy young man may well turn out to be more interested than he should be in making money from the distinctly illegal goings-on.

The film is nicely paced and always interesting and quite funny in parts. The characters are well acted and oddly likeable despite their unlikeable career choices. The film slightly runs out of ideas in the end, although at least we are spared a contrived twist. The low key ending is oddly in keeping with the overall tone.

The ingredients for a good movie are all there: interesting and fresh ideas, compelling story. The movie mixes comedy, action and drama efficiently. The characters' evolution is believable and it is easy to root for them, because we really get to know them: who they are, which is their story, which are their emotions. The pace may be slow for some, but I liked that the director took his time to tell his story. I was hooked from the beginning. Acting is overall good, nothing extraordinary, but the cast did the job properly, even though some interactions felt very forced, especially between Kazuhiko and Yuri.

With all these positive elements, I wondered how the director could wrap the movie so roughly, without a proper climax. The ending is extremely disappointing and generic. I was expecting a big plot twist or a scene that would leave me speechless, but unfortunately this does not happen. The movie is very raw and unpolished, especially in the editing department. There are cuts that interrupt a scene abruptly, creating a lot of confusion. I had to come back a couple of times in order to understand the link between one sequence and another. Not a big deal, but it is still an issue, because in some parts the story does not flow at all. The shaky camera technique in my opinion is used way too much, even during some dialogues.

"Melancholic" is not a bad movie, but needed more work to be completed. Well, this is the very first film of Seiji Tanaka, and I am pretty sure that if he keeps working on his craft, he will improve both as a writer and director.

Despite its somewhat depressing name, Seiji Tanaka's directorial debut "Melancholic" sometimes feels anything but, with moments of action and humour, but is a film with a nice, quiet, calm sense of fun throughout.

Kazuhiko (also novice Yoji Minagawa) is a graduate from a prestigious university but who has spent his time since graduating in a bit of a slump. Not searching for a job in any great hurry, he lives at his parents' home like a moody teenager, so much so, that when his mother releases the bath water, not realising he hasn't yet had a bath, she insists he visit the local bathhouse for a trip that will change the course of his life...somewhat.

While there, he bumps into an old classmate in Yuri (Mebuki Yoshida) who seems genuinely pleased to see him after so many years. A man who rides on the waves of others, Kazuhiko is bought in by her suggestions that he joins an upcoming school reunion and takes the advertised job at the bathhouse. The moody 'teenager' now has a job and a girlfriend.

Employed without much of an interview process, he works alongside boss Higashi (Makoto Hada),the enigmatic older Kodera (Yasuyuki Hamaya) and slacker Matsumoto (Yoshitomo Isozaki). Diligent at his tasks, he feels that he is somewhat different to his fellow workers, so snooping round after closing, he finds Kodera is a hitman working through Higashi, with Matsumoto's help. While initially appalled, Kazuhiko's solemnity sees him quickly accept his new role in helping to clean up the blood after. He is now part of the nightshift.

Kazuhiko is something of a comedy character, one whom Tanaka is laughing at. Despite his education, he is fairly useless and is in no hurry to change his dull existence, in very much the mould of a character from a Natsume Soseki novel. Change is brought about by accident and chance, with others guiding him or moving him around as they see fit. So meek is he, that he simply goes along with even the most absurd or dangerous a scenario as if part of a choose your own adventure novel. In this sense, Kazuhiko is something of a sad character, but Tanaka makes him amuse.

With the other characters only given a little airtime for development, this sense of poking fun at Kazuhiko as he takes on the role of hitman's assistant makes for an entertaining watch that is easy to slip into. Despite the theme of murder and the violence depicted, it almost leaves you quite calm, and this isn't an unwelcome feeling. Perhaps due to Tanaka's very simple approach to the story, characters and locations, never overbearing in what it throws your way.

Though, that said, when there is action, it is actually well choreographed and shot, with Matsumoto a natural to take over Kodera's role. But the action is quite sparse, and so this is far from a thrilling ride to its conclusion.

The ending is perhaps the film's most inconsistent moment, with Kazuhiko forced to finally do something of his own accord, but it all feels a little too casual for such a big leap, with Kazuhiko losing his charm as the hapless fool.

But, rather than a feeling of melancholy, with "Melancholic" Tanaka uses Kazuhiko to manifest the sense of "shouganai" ("it can't be helped"). Despite the dangerous and terrifying scenario Kazuhiko finds himself in, he simply slips into it as if it's natural and does little to put up any resistance: he is now a hitman's assistant and there's nothing he can do about it. Trying to advance himself with his education got him nowhere, but fate had a lot to do with where he found himself.

Having to accept a bad situation can be a little depressing, but you have to laugh, hey?!...after over six months stuck working from home every day...

politic1983.home.blog