Kinds of "Japaneseness" Can We Find in Koreeda's Films - Paper Example

Introduction

Movies can inspire passion, and for every person that is obsessed with an individual in the film industry or a particular genre there exists another struggling to know where to begin (Singer, 2017). Hirokazu Koreeda is a renowned Japanese film director and screenwriter. He has won many awards with his feature films. His work has been linked to the contemplative styles of various Japanese luminaries and is often compared to Yasujiro Ozu (Singer, 2017). The films directed and produced by Kore'eda reflect the Japanese culture and practices in various ways.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Order now

The films of Koreeda can be described as intimate domestic dramas. Most of them are relaxed in pace and muted in overt sentiment. However, the works of the director are rich in quotidian detail and filled with deep emotional reverberation. The films are rich drama and not stage show. Koreeda remains versatile in the films and has occasionally explored subjects such as potent fantasy. However, the films have an outstanding feature which is the protagonists' emotional relationships they have with one another and the environment.

The most significant aspect in most of his films is the family which is a respected institution in the Japanese culture. Almost every movie that has been directed by Kore'eda has the family as the central figure. In most occasions, the plot is formulated about the central lack or absence in the family institution (Singer, 2017). For instance in the Maborosi produced in 1995 the concept of family and a central lack is demonstrated by a husband's inexplicable suicide (Singer, 2017). The case is the same in Nobody knows produced in 2008 where a mother abandons her children who are very young (Singer, 2017). In the Japanese culture family is a significant factor and the people feel a high sense of belonging and loyalty to their family. Individuals in society are expected to put the interests of the family before their own. They are also required to favor family members and thus show them preferential treatment. The actions of one individual in a Japanese family impact the image and perception of the family by the outside world (McDonald, 2006). Kore'eda explores the institution of family and shows the effects of a lack or loss of a member in the family. The importance of each in the family setting is also explored. For instance in the film Still Walking (2008), there is an annual clan gathering that is held to remember the son who died young. The event shows the importance of each family member as demonstrated by the actions of the characters in the movie. Still, Walking explores family dynamics and what they do not speak when talking about the most painful shared history (Singer, 2017).

Ozu-esque work is a part of the Japaneseness in Kore'eda work (Singer, 2017). Ozueque is the sensibility of an individual which is deep-rooted in and deduced from the thematic and stylistic traditions of a combination of Japan and Hollywood. The term refers to the influence of Yasujiro Ozu on other filmmakers. Koreeda is often compared to Ozu through their shared muted sensibility. His works counterbalance the weight of time and the difficulties experienced in everyday family life. Maborosi is Kore'eda most apparent Ozu-esque work (McDonald, 2006). The film involves a widow who relocates to the coast and the efforts she makes to rebuild her life after the husband commits suicide. The film contains lengthy dialogue and free passages and uses short reflective images to create a link to scenes (McDonald, 2006). Maborosi taps into the Japanese culture and has an apparent relation to the works of Ozu.

The films of Kore'eda try to shed light on economic and social issues that affect the people of Japan. This factor could apply to other people as it reflects on the lives of different individuals. Poverty is a significant factor that Kore'eda explores. Traditionally, Japan has been made up of two types of social classes which are the owners and workers class. An increase in white-collar employees in the country gave rise to a subclass of the workers class which is the middle class. Poverty is a major issue in the country with most of the population struggling to make a living. Boomer juniors who are around the age of 40 find it hard to secure employment and build a life that is similar to that of boomers. Problems in the economy have given rise to the '7040 problems' a challenge in the Japanese community where 40-year-olds are living with their parents who are around the age of 70 (Brasor & Tsubuku, 2018). The pension of the 70-year-olds is what the family relies on as income to finance their daily needs (Brasor & Tsubuku, 2018). In shoplifters, Kore'eda shed light on a society where people are on a struggle to make a living. He explores the 7040 challenge through his plot and the characters in the movie (Brasor & Tsubuku, 2018). The film involves a family that is living off the pension of their grandmother and therefore sends their children to steal from stores to satisfy their needs as a family. The film was inspired by media reports that were made in Japan about persons claiming pensions fraudulently (Singer, 2017). Shoplifters, therefore, depicted the social and economic situation of the majority of the Japanese population.

Additionally, as part of the Japanese culture Kore'eda has explored and depicted the Manga comics. Manga comics are fashioned in Japan or the Japanese dialect. They follow a specific style that was created in the late 19th century but have an extensive and complex history in Japanese art. Manga is popular is popular in Japan and is read by people of all ages. The medium explores various genres and transverses all areas of life. They have become popular globally and have been inspired by various films. Manga stories are a popular subject explored by Japanese film directors even though the medium has been associated with killing originality among young Japanese directors. Kore'eda explores the subject of Nature Vs. Nurture with a manga comic of our little sister produced in 2015 which is a series about sisters who adopt a teenage sister and install her into their home after the death of their shared father (Singer, 2017). Additionally, the film air doll produced in 2009 is a Manga adaptation (Singer, 2017). Through the two films, Kore'eda explores the popular concept of Japaneseness.

Conclusion

Hirokazu Koreeda is a renowned Japanese film director who has won many awards based on his feature films. Kore'eda explores various kinds of Japaneseness in his films. He explores the culture and the social issues affecting the Japanese people in most of his works. The concept of family which is an important social institution is, however, the most significant factor with most of the films being based around it. Ozuesque, social issues affecting Japanese society and Manga comics are other factors explored by Kore'eda. Therefore, he effectively depicts Japaneseness in his films.

References

Brasor, P. & Tsubuku, M. 2018. Poverty in Japan: Underclass struggles to achieve upward mobility. Retrieved from: https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2018/07/13/business/poverty-japan-underclass-struggles-achieve-upward-mobility/#.W7_eVVQza03

McDonald, K. I. (2006). The Danger and Allure of Phantom Light: Hirokazu Koreeda's Maborosi (1995). Reading a Japanese Film: Cinema in Context. Honolulu: U of Hawai'i P, 218, 93-111.

Singer, L. (2017). Where to begin with Hirokazu Koreeda. Retrieved from: https://www.bfi.org.uk/news-opinion/news-bfi/features/fast-track-fandom-where-begin-hirokazu-koreeda