Shirkers; or, The Curse of an Unfinished Motion Picture
In the summer of 1992, my friends and I shot a road movie on
the streets of Singapore that was to become a kind of urban legend. That movie
was called Shirkers, a word which means “running away, avoiding responsibility,
escape.” […] The film was a time capsule of a Singapore that was both real and
imaginary. Back then, the thing I wanted more than anything was to make a
movie. But I never imagined it would end this way.
I guess that I should start this review with a memeable
phrase like “I don’t always review documentaries but when I do, they’re about
Asian films”. Shirkers fits this pattern perfectly because it is a detailed
outline of a story how three friends, together with their film teacher, decided
to make an independent road movie that… by a bizarre twist of fate (mentor disappearing
with the footage) never got to see the light of day.
The documentary was directed and written by Sandi Tan, a
film critic and writer who is also the story’s main heroine. She drives the
narrative on the basis of interviews with her friends, Jasmine Ng and Sophia
Siddique Harvey, crewmembers of Shirkers movie, and people connected with the elusive
figure of the film teacher, Georges Cardona. The interviews cross-cut with some
fancy animations (letters, photographs, and art designs) and, most importantly,
the stolen footage from Shirkers movie.
This is how the observant viewer is informed that the
footage was, in fact, retrieved, but the 25-year-long wait leading up to this
rediscovery is the most interesting aspect of the documentary. All confessions
from behind the scenes of Shirkers are, actually, quite gripping. From the very
first clip of the original movie, one can see that the little indie film was
made with some thought to it. The most obvious influence which came to my mind
right off the bat was David Lynch and, a couple of minutes later into the
documentary, Sandi admits that she got ahold of Blue Velvet (1986) on VHS through her cousin in America…
The original clips show not only a premise of a decent
motion picture, but they also serve as a time capsule preserving the image of Singapore
from the 1990s. Urban spaces mixed so seamlessly with colourful nature that the
country almost appeared as the ideal location for any type of movie.
Unfortunately, Shirkers (even though complete in the form of film reels) was scarred
forever by the removal of its sound recordings.
The only thing that left me a bit jarred was the way in
which the character of Georges Cardona was framed within this story. He is
turned into a romantic, yet vain, almost Heathcliff-like anti-hero. In my
opinion, he was simply a skilled a-hole (and a major troll) who envied the
creativity of other people. However, it has to be acknowledged that he had a
certain degree of understanding (even a talent of sorts) in terms of movie
making. If only he could direct his efforts into fruitful collaborations he
established with his colleagues, instead of throwing them at the very bottom of
a bin.
Sandi Tan herself seems not to be a very crystal clear
protagonist, at least to me. All she wanted to do was to make a movie, the
ultimate dream of every aspiring cinema lover; nevertheless, what was the cost
of her struggle? The second half of Shirkers documentary presents Sandi coming
to terms with the bitter past, revisiting her friends, and exploring the
mysterious existence of Georges Cardona.
Recommendations
I recommend this documentary to anyone. It is a great story
and I strongly hope that the original Shirkers movie will be released someday
in one way or the other. The documentary is easily available on Netflix, so you
can check it out there. However, I would like to point out that I was in no way
paid in the dark alley by Netflix to write this review. I stumbled across
Shirkers after watching a different documentary called Filmworker, about the
creative life of Leon Vitali, and I recommend it to every cinema buff as well.
Patlabor; or, Remembering the Mecha Franchise 30 Years Later
Labor: A robot specifically designed for construction work.
Labor allow dramatic advances in construction but also in crime. To combat
these new Labor crimes, the police created a special unit: The Patrol Labor.
And thus, the birth of Patlabor.
Many anime series come and go, but there are some which
imprint themselves on our memories. I remember clearly when a few years back a
colleague of mine recommended to me “this hilarious anime about cops in giant
robots”. Such a description was enough to get me hooked. I checked out the
original OVA from 1988 and I remained a fan of Patlabor ever since, having
watched every single entry in the series. This is my nostalgic look back at the
under-appreciated (but certainly not forgotten) franchise originally known as Kidō Keisatsu Patlabor.
Release Info
Created by: HeadgearVoice actors: Miina Tominaga, Toshio Furukawa, Ryuusuke Oobayashi
Language: JapaneseOriginal Title: 機動警察パトレイバー No. of eps: 70
Synopsis
Welcome to the near future (approximately somewhere between 1998
and 2002). The world has made a huge development in terms of robotics and
especially in manufactured “Labors” that have revolutionised modern industry.
However, along with their usage, Labor-related crimes have skyrocketed as well.
That’s why the Metro Police created a special Patrol Labor unit called Special
Vehicles Section, the aim of which is to prevent such crimes. The story follows
the members of SV Section 2, Division 2, who are the laughing-stock of the entire
police force. Noa Izumi is an energetic young pilot of the top-of-the-line
Ingram AV-98 Labor. She is aided by her commanding officer, Asuma Shinohara;
second unit Ingram pilot, Isao Ohta; his commanding officer, Kanuka Clancy; two
truck drivers: Mikiyasu Shinshi and Hiromi Yamazaki; as well as the Division’s
chief, Captain Kiichi Goto. Although successfully completing missions, the team
often demolishes everything that stands in their way, thus generating huge
financial losses and destroying the image of the public service.
Condition Green!
After finally finding out some clear info about the release
of The Next Generation: Patlabor(2014) adaptation, I decided to revisit the
whole franchise and provide my thoughts on it, especially in view of the fact
that it is roughly 31 years old. To be honest, I enjoyed every single minute of
every anime episode, even more than when I saw the series for the first time.
However, some introductory information should be presented
first. Patlabor was originally created by Headgear, an independent creative
organisation consisting of Masami Yuki, Yutaka Izubuchi, Kazunori Ito, Akemi
Takada, and Mamoru Oshii. It first appeared in the form of a manga (devised by
Masami Yuki) which was released by Shogakukan in 22 volumes between 1988 and
1994. Subsequently, 7 light novels followed between 1990 and 1994.
In terms of anime, the series spans across 3 theatrical
movies and 70 episodes which are divided into 2 separate timelines, so bear
with me:
The Movie Timeline:
Patlabor: Early Days (1988-1989)- The first 7-episode-long
OVA directed by Mamoru Oshii which focuses on the origins of Tokyo MPD’s SV2
team.
Patlabor: The Movie (1989)- I already wrote about this film
here, but to be clear: SV2 investigates a series of mysterious Labour incidents
during the construction of Babylon Project, an advanced technological attempt
to connect small islands in Tokyo Bay and artificially create new land for the
expanding Tokyo suburbs.
WXII: Patlabor The Movie 3 (2002)- This one is more like a
spin-off than a proper sequel. A year after the events from the first movie,
two Tokyo MPD detectives work on the case involving missing scientists. They
have participated in an experiment, the result of which was a genetically
engineered monster who fled to Tokyo Bay.
Patlabor: The Movie 2 (1993)- SV2’s final adventure. An
unknown group of terrorists initiates a state of emergency across Tokyo. The
only way to stop the threat is SV2 joining forces again, together with Captain
Shinobu Nagumo, the leader of Division 1.
The Next Generation: Patlabor (2014): Taking place 11 years
after the events from the anime, this live action series focuses on a new SV2
team fighting Labor-related crimes.
TV Timeline:
Patlabor: The TV Series (a.k.a. Patlabor on Television)
(1989-1990): A 47-episode-long story taking place in a different continuity.
This series has a structure similar to Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
because it features many SV2’s one-off missions, slice-of-life shenanigans, as
well as the whole story arc about battling an evil company known as Schaft
Enterprises.
Patlabor: The New Files (1990-1992): The OVA which consists
of 16 episodes serving as the conclusion to the TV series.
Whew, that was quite an enumeration, nevertheless, an
important one. If you do not know where to start, then I suggest trying
Patlabor: Early Days which serves as a great introduction into the series. If you
get interested, then you can check out the rest of the entries in whichever
order you like (I personally mixed the TV series with the movies).
With regard to each entry, I safely recommend watching all
of them. I always have little issues with Patlabor: The Movie 2 (a bit too
slow-paced and having strong Ghost in the Shell undertones), but it is a great finale in its
own right. In addition, WXIII: Patlabor the Movie 3 functions pretty well as an
independent monster story, but is pretty underwhelming when compared with the
other instalments. My all-time favourites shall remain the TV Series, New Files
follow-up, and the first movie.
Speaking of TV Series, I really do not get why it is so
looked down on contemporarily. To me, this a core of the Patlabor
franchise. Without it, we would not get all these wonderful, hilarious, but
also dark, and dangerous adventures of SV2. It provides a major character
development and, consequently, by Patlabor: The Movie 2, one can really feel the
amount of time spent with the characters.
In terms of the characters themselves, I love how they are a
mixed bunch of unique personalities. Apart from comedy dynamics, each character
has a clear story arc and undergoes a personal development as the story moves
on. As a result, this makes them all even more wonderful and unforgettable as a
team.
The futuristic vision of early 2000s is very light-hearted
for a change rather than being cyberpunk rendition all over again. However,
Headgear cleverly turns the world of Patlabors from harmless fun into a dark
reality involving corrupt governments, espionage, and military coups. That’s
how multilayered this franchise is.
Additionally, the animation itself coupled with beautiful Labor
designs by Yutaka Izubuchi is just awesome. I literally have like 4 Patlabor
posters hanging on my wall right now. On top of that, Patlabor would not have
its distinct tone without the composer Kenji Kawai and his many musical contributions. With his music, one can feel as if living in the mecha world.
In 2014, Mamoru Oshii directed a live action called The Next Generation: Patlabor which was followed a year later by a theatrical film The Next Generation Patlabor: Tokyo War. Unfortunately, this reimagining of the series was not well
received (at least financially). What is more, there is absolutely no legit
English translation of this show. However, I took up the challenge and watched
both the drama and movie raw. While not getting much of the details, I can say
The Next Generation: Parlabor looks very solid, especially in terms of being
faithful to its anime source, and certainly does not deserve the excessive bad rap it
receives.
2016 saw the release of Mobile Police Patlabor Reboot, an
8-minute concept short reintroducing the franchise to a younger audience. The
fate and Japanese reception of the reboot is unknown (I personally liked it).
However, it’s been announced by Headgear that they are developing a new
animated television series called Patlabor: EZY. You can check out the project’s official site here.
Recommendations
All things considered, Patlabor is just so much fun. Quoting
a Youtube user: “Friends + Police Academy + giant robots = Patlabor”. Check it
out if you can. There are some issues with the availability but where there’s a will there’s a way. Patlabor is a great show which needs some love
especially in the CGI age. I am keeping my fingers crossed for the new anime
because more people around the world should know about this cops-and-robots
franchise. As Noa used to say at the end of each episode: Target, Locked On!
