Matt Cooper Films

Midsummer’s Equation (2013) by Hiroshi Nishitani

While on a business trip, physics professor Yukawa (Masaharu Fukuyama) finds himself caught up in the investigation of a mysterious death at a seaside inn. After arriving in town as part of a team of scientists attempting to show the value of a controversial sea-drilling operation, Yukawa checks-in to an inn run by Setuko (Jun Fubuki) and Shigeru (Gin Maeda) who live with their daughter Narumi (Anne Watanabe). The couple’s nephew Kyohei (Hikaru Yamazaki) has also arrived in town and is looking forward to the summer break; but things take a dark turn when another guest, ex-police detective Tsukahara (Sansei Shiomi) is found dead on the beach. It appears that Tsukahara was part of an investigation into a murder in Tokyo fifteen years prior, following which Narumi and her parents moved from the capital. Officer Kishitani (Yuriko Yoshitaka) asks Yukawa for his assistance, but the professor soon discovers that the family has more than one secret.

Following on from 2008’s “Suspect X“, director Hiroshi Nishitani tackles another Higashino Keigo adaptation in “Midsummer’s Equation”, an enjoyable who-dunnit set in a picturesque seaside town. This juxtaposition between the dark subject matter of Tsukahara’s murder, and the stabbing that starts the film, alongside the brightly coloured locale works well, offering a clear-eyed look at the case as Yukawa himself views it without prejudice. The incredible underwater sequences and stunning backdrop make for a highly enjoyable watch and you are in little doubt that the genius Yukawa will eventually wrap up the entire case. The ensemble cast do a great job, particularly Anne Watanabe’s Narumi, a conscientious young woman who harbours a dark secret; and the young Hikaru Yamazaki as Kyohei, whose innocence provides the perfect foil for Yukawa’s deliberations.

“Midsummer’s Equation” examines the lengths people will go to to protect those closest to them. Morality is far from black-and-white with people caught between loyalty and self-preservation. The subplot of the sea-drilling opereations that threaten the natural order are a perfect encapsulation of the film’s philosophy, one in which the right action may not always be the just one. There are questions over the extent to which personal responsibility factors into the guilt of a suspect. Crime takes many forms, often committed in the heat of the moment, or unwittingly, as in the film, or coldly pre-meditated. The film attempts to distinguish between the levels of guilt attributable to these varying acts, despite the results being the same. An interesting detective tale that utilises a great cast of characters to explore the nuances of criminality.

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.