Matt Cooper Films

Demolition Girl (2019) by Genta Matsugami

High-schooler Cocoa (Aya Kitai) attempts to scrape together enough money to attend college by acting in videos crushing objects with her feet. With her unemployed father (Yota Kawase) spending his days gambling away his benefit money, and her brother lounging at home, Cocoa must work to support her own dreams of attending college. A former friend of her brother, Naoki, films her stomping on trash, cans, balloons, and other things while dressed in her uniform, which he then sells on as fetish tapes to a low-level gangster to distribute. While Cocoa continually strives, using whatever means she can, to support herself; the world seems constantly turned against her, with her father’s recklessness; the school authorities lack of compassion; and the gangster’s selfishness, confounding her hopes at every turn.

“Demolition Girl”, directed by Genta Matsugami from a screenplay by Matsugami and Yoshitaka Kasui, is an interesting take on the coming-of-age drama, with a great central performance from Aya Kitai as Cocoa. Her challenging circumstances, living with her lazy, feckless, father and older brother, create immediate sympathy, along with her determined attitude to overcome them. She has good chemistry with her two schoolfriends, who both come from more comfortable family circumstances, in sharp conrast to her own struggles. The fetish videos are bizarre but get across the point the film is attempting to make about the constant exploitation of the poor by society and how the pursuit of money leads people into degrading states of being. Matsugami’s direction features some fun moments such as the standoff between Cocoa and the gang leader near the end of the film in one long, tense, take.

“Demolition Girl” has several familiar themes which it handles expertly, without being too heavy-handed in its messaging. Cocoa’s ability to pick herself up after every setback is commendable, and sets her apart from the grasping, self-centered immorality of the gangsters and her own family. We see society as deeply flawed, failing to protect the most vulnerable and well-meaning individuals, while illegality goes unpunished. In the end, Cocoa realises that the only way to truly thrive is to stick to your own values, rather than being pressured into forsaking your sense of self-worth or striving to fit societal expecations. Money and power often force people into unnatural self-abasement and the film’s conclusion applauds those who are able to step away from our warped value system towards self-belief and eschewing the twisted morality of modern capitalism.

Matt Cooper Films

Suspect X (2008) by Hiroshi Nishitani

Based on the novel “The Devotion of Suspect X” by Keigo Higashino, this big budget crime thriller proves a great adaptation. Single-mother Yasuko Hanaoka (Yasuko Matsuyuki) kills her ex-husband after he unexpectedly reappears and threatens her and her daughter Misato (Miho Kanazawa). Their math-genius neighbour Mr. Ishigami (Shinichi Tsutsumi) decides to help them, with seemingly little motivation other than a desire not to see them arrested for murder. Ishigami devises a plan that appears to throw off detectives Utsumi (Ko Shibasaki) and Kusanagi (Kazuki Kitamura) who are assigned to the case; that is until they bring in physics professor Yukawa (Masaharu Fukuyama), an intellectual powerhouse comparable to Ishigami, and a former friend from their university days. While suspicions swirl around Ishigami it seems that he has created a puzzle that no-one other than Yukawa may be able to solve.

“Suspect X” inverts the usual crime narrative, by giving us full details of the murder early in the film; and instead focussing on the method by which Yasuko and Ishigami may or may not escape detection. Following fairly closely the plot of Higashino’s novel the film centres on the main cast, throwing up potential clues along the way as the detectives and Yukawa battle to uncover exactly what happened, while Ishigami waits patiently to discover if his ruse will hold. Masaharu Fukuyama and Shinichi Tsutsumi as the erstwhile university friends prove the perfect foils for one another, both highly intelligent and somewhat aloof from everyday society. Ishigami is quiet and sympathetic, leading a drab, mundane existence that is far from challenging his exceptional intellect; while Yukawa’s distance from everyday concerns stems from an absolute dedication to the world of science and logic, shunning the unpredictability of human affairs. The film’s budget and Nishitani’s direction bring to life the world of Higashino’s novel, lingering on certain hints to the final revelation and adding a touch of cinematic magic to a couple of Yukawa’s explanations, such as a sequence in which he explains the concept of doppelgangers (seeing him appear in duplicate) and his first scene which sees him conducting a large-scale (and somewhat unbelievable) experiment to prove a point to detective Utsumi.

While “Suspect X” features several stunning twists in its final third, it is underpinned by an emotional human drama to match the purely intellectual exercise of working out how Ishigami seeks to exonorate his neighbours. It is possible to sympathise with the actions of Yasuko and her daughter, and we are drawn in to hoping that they are somehow able to get away with murder. Ishigami is a more complex character, certainly flawed and vulnerable, but with praiseworthy characteristics of selflessness and intelligence. Yukawa’s role is interesting as he is almost an antagonist at times, working to uncover the criminal deception that will see a mother and daughter potentially imprisoned for murder, albeit arguably committed in self-defence. The film also touches on themes of loneliness, homelessness, and what the purpose of our existence is. Ishigami is a memorable character precicely because he is imperfect, driven by both joy and pain. A highly entertaining film with great production value, cast, and a story that has hidden depths.

Matt Cooper Films

Scoop! (2016) by Hitoshi One

A veteran freelance photo-journalist is forced to partner with a rookie reporter in this dark comedy about celebrity culture and the press. Shizuka Miyakonojo (Masaharu Fukuyama) earns a living by taking photos of celebrities in compromising situations: hanging out at girl’s bars, having affairs, or being caught blind drunk. He gets by selling his snaps to his ex-wife Sadako (Yo Yoshida) who works at ‘Scoop!’ magazine, which specializes in celebrity gossip and soft-core pornography. Lone-wolf Shizuka is teamed up with newbie reporter Nobi Namikawa (Fumi Nikaido) and the pair are tasked with getting high quality content for the magazine. The mismatched pair soon form a bond over their secretive activities and schemes to secure stories. Danger is never too far away however with Shizuka’s unhinged friend Chara (Lily Franky) lurking in the background.

“Scoop!”, directed by Hitoshi One from a script by One and Masato Harada (“Bounce Ko Gals”), is a thrilling ride from start to finish. The plot is set up as a straightforward odd couple team-up, with both Masaharu Fukuyama and Fumi Nikaido bringing charisma and chemistry to their roles. Shizuka is a fairly unlikeable character, but Fukuyama’s performance shows us this broken individual hides anxieties about his failure to make something of his life; while Fumi Nikaido brings a cheerful optimism and steely determination to Nobi. The supporting cast are also great, including Yo Yoshida and Kenichi Takito as editors at the paper, and Lily Franky in a role that runs the gamut from humorous to terrifying. The creative camerawork helps the film feel fresh throughout, with a fantastic opening sequence that follows Shizuka from an intimate moment in his van to tailing his mark in a single spellbinding take. The film has a comedic tone, but is always skirting darker elements: sex work, rape, and murder. The ending is shocking for anyone expecting a simple ‘enemies-to-friends’ narrative, but in context makes perfect sense, feeling as if the constant toying with disaster finally catches up with the protagonists.

“Scoop!” takes an unflinching look at the world of paparazzi, who spend their lives following around celebrities to catch them unawares. It’s a seedy existence, using others for personal gain, that borders on the criminal. We are drawn into the excitement of the chase with Shizuka and Nobi and it becomes easy to forget that there are real people involved, as they see them simply as targets. However, in the latter half the film begins to examine the morality of their actions more closely, questioning the purpose of the press in holding politicians to account and covering serious topics such as crime, rather than the more frivolous gossip of celebrity affairs and drinking parties. The film’s climactic moments challenge us with a brutal sequence involving murder, a topic hinted at earlier when the characters are tasked with taking a photograph of a rapist-murderer. This sudden explosion of violence confronts us with the fact that while these magazines may appear to be inconsequential there are real victims behind the stories; and real suffering happening in society. It is easy to forget in a media-saturated world our responsibilities to each other. “Scoop!” is well worth a watch for its entertaining plot, actors at the top of their game, and a conflicted protagonist that questions the morality of journalism in the modern era.

Matt Cooper Films

Gozu (2003) by Takashi Miike

After being tasked with taking his senior to be executed, a young Yakuza (Hideki Sone) encounters a series of bizarre and troubling incidents in this unconventional crime tale. “Gozu” begins with the Yakuza Ozaki (Show Aikawa) telling his boss that everything that he’s about to say is a joke, and not to take it too seriously. This could be a nod to the audience that we are in for a wild ride, even by the standards of director Takashi Miike’s extensive catalogue of weird and wonderful films. Not long after Ozaki says this he spots a small dog outside; convinced it is a ‘Yakuza dog’, specially trained to kill gangsters, he heads outside to dash the dog against the ground, swinging it around his head on its lead before flinging it into the window. This sets the tone for the film’s blend of dark comedy, graphic violence, and seemingly non-sequitur storytelling. After Ozaki dies unexpectedly in an accident, his junior, Minami (Sone), stops by a cafe; but when he returns to the car, Ozaki is gone. Things get stranger when Minami checks in at a nearby ryokan, with a lactating landlady, a cow-headed figure in Y-fronts, rituals to summon spirits, odd patrons of the local cafe, and the mystery of how a dead man got up and walked away.

Written by Sakichi Sato and directed by Takashi Miike, “Gozu” provides an entertaining story from beginning to end, with provocative imagery veering from sinister to hilarious. The film constantly undercuts the tension wtih moments of farce, or drives things to the extreme in a way that leaves you searching for some symbolism. Hideki Sone does a great job as the confused Minami, his anxiety about what he has to do and his loyalty to his senior writ large in his performance. Likewise, the unhinged thug Ozaki is played brilliantly by Show Aikawa. The cast of peculiar characters they meet along the road, including Shohei Hino’s Nose, a man with a peculiar skin condition, and Keiko Tomita and Harumi Sone, the odd couple who run the local inn, all help to bring the film’s mysterious journey to life. Koji Endo’s score of grinding strings furthers the unsettling atmosphere, emphasising Minami’s descent into a world both inexplicable and inescapable.

“Gozu” is a film that lends itself to interpretation, but it is hard to pin down just one. At its heart it centres on the anxiety of Minami, perhaps grappling with his conscience knowing that is driving his senior to his death. Ozaki is knocked out when Minami brakes hard as the road comes to an abrupt end at a river. This could be the first of several references to the afterlife, although they do not cross the river. Whether Ozaki is in hell, purgatory, or some nighmare world, the mystery deepens as he falls for a woman claiming to be Ozaki, played by Kimika Yoshino. Again, it is possible to see this as Ozaki’s spirit, now in its pure form, and the final moments of the film again twist ideas of identity and self to a grotesque yet compelling conclusion. The film seems to poke fun at the Yakuza as an institution, particularly in the character of their boss (Renji Ishibashi), who has a peculiar ritual required before love-making. Whether a parody of the typical crime film; a dark dive into the psyche of gangsters; or a film about closeted homosexuality, “Gozu” is a film that provides plenty of food for thought.

Matt Cooper Films

Erased (2016) by Yuichiro Hirakawa

Satoru (Tatsuya Fujiwara) has the ability to travel back in time to prevent disasters happening. Unable to control this, he must look for anything out of place in order to stop the impending tragedies. He finds himself transported back in time 18 years, to his primary school in Hokkaido, before one of his classmates Kayo (Rio Suzuki) was murdered. The young Satoru (Tsubasa Nakagawa), investigates clues and tries to work out what happened, not only to prevent Kayo’s death, but also to prevent his mother’s death in the present after she is targetted by the same killer. He is helped by his classmates in the past and his pizzeria co-worker Airi (Kasumi Arimura) in the present.

Based on the manga series by Kei Sanbe, with a script by Noriko Goto, “Erased” is a fantastical time-travel film with a dark central tragedy. The whimsical tone of much of the drama is in stark contrast to the paedophilia and murder that lie at the heart of the mystery. For the most part the film manages to pull off these disparate tones, but the final moments leave an uncomfortable feeling as it attempts to affix a hopeful, if bittersweet, ending onto a desperately bleak situation involving multiple murders and child abuse. The time-travel mechanism that drives the narrative goes unexplained, simply being something that Satoru has from the beginning. This is a minor problem as the mystery is compelling and well-crafted, giving us plenty of time to enjoy the characters and excellent performances. Fujiwara Tatsuya and Kasumi Arimura are fun as the co-workers, and Tsubasa Nakagawa, who plays young Satoru with the wisdom of his older self does an incredible job at making this believable.

The film’s idea that someone could travel back in time to right a historic wrong is alluring and Satoru’s mission manages to maintain the tension throughout. It is interesting to see a child tackling this dangerous and difficult criminal case, albeit one who is inhabited by the wit and wisdom of his older self. The film also has a strong message about it being the responsibility of everyone, no matter how seemingly powerless, to prevent these tragedies from happening. Forgoing the usual grimy basements and dark lurking figures, the film highlights the sad reality that these crimes often happen in broad daylight. We see an attempted kidnapping from a playground, where the bright, colourful surrounds masks the dark reality going on just out of sight. “Erased” is a unique take on the amateur detective, managing to balance the investigation with time-travel and mystery.