Strawberry Shortcakes by Yazaki Hitoshi (2006)
19 March 2008A film based on the manga by Nananan Kiriko, this is a tale of yearning for love and hope following a group of women whose lives at least slightly intersect in the cold and impersonal world of modern Japan. It is a film that slow simmers, where it starts off slow, showing little glimpses into these women’s lives, but also taking you from a non-caring observer to a person with a vested interest in these women’s lives, loves and hopes. This film certainly makes Tokyo seem a lonely place one can get lost in, but still it does have a glimmer of hope in there, and ends on a high rather than a low. A godo film, and I hope to see more out of Yazaki because he did a great job with these actresses.
The film follows 4 different women living in Tokyo, Satoko (Ikewaki Chizuru) who works as a receptionist at an escort agency, and Akiyo (Nakamura Yuko) who works as a prostitute. And an OL or Office Ladey named Chihiro (Nakagoshi Noriko) and her freelance artist roommate named Toko (Nananan Kiriko). And these girls are all out in their own ways to find love and hope and happiness, but they have to find themselves first.
REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS…
The film starts with Satoko literally being dragged by her boyfriend who dumps her, and she just can’t move on, but is disgusted by the lecherous advances of the married escort agency owner.
Akiyo lives her life as if she is dead, living in a coffin, and doing anything for her clients, even being brutalized, because she has one spark of hope in her life. She loves a man she went to college with, and sees him every chance she gets, and it is the only time she is alone, but she really starts to fall apart when she finds he has a girlfriend.
Chihiro envies the success of her roommate, and will do anything to be love, sticking to one man who obviously just wanted sex from her, when she wants love and marriage and to be wanted.
Toko lives for her artwork, as she paints her representation of god for a manga cover, but when a careless courier leaves her painting in a noodle shop owned by a Korean, she loses it, and her total bulimia acts up, so she does nothing but throw up.
Eventually Satoko strands up for herself and leaves the escort service, and actually gets a job at the noodle shop, and finds Toko’s painting, which she plans to give to Akiyo.
Akiyo seduces her friend, and gets pregnant, and leaves her life of prostitution. She may not have the ones she loves, but she finds a reason to live.
Chihiro realizes she isn’t wanted, and gets him to tell her to her face so she can move on.
Toko sees Satoko and Akiyo at the beach, and finally finds her painting, and can finally start living again.
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A really interesting film. Slow paces, but with great character development. Really well done and I look forward to seeing more films by this director in the future.
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