BU SU (1987) [Film Review]

BU・SU; or, The Days of Our Lives
     Do your best at school!
Rarely do I stumble across a movie which can be easily labelled as a "weird drama". At the beginning, you suspect that the film will be a standard school romance similar to Shunji Iwai's April Story (1988). Later on, you are convinced that the plot will take a darker turn and veer into the territory of Hideo Gosha's geisha thrillers. BU・SU is none of these things. Jun Ichikawa's debut feature from 1987 is, indeed, an unconventional story about a young girl trying to get over personal trauma.

Release Info

Directed by: Jun Ichikawa Starring: Yasuko Tomita, Michiyo Okusu, Masahiro Takashima, Yuriko Hirooka

Language: Japanese Original Title: ブス Runtime: 95 min

Synopsis
Mugiko (Yasuko Tomita) leaves her home island of Izu and arrives in Tokyo to live together with her aunt (Michiyo Okusu) who runs a geisha house. Mugiko experienced some kind of tragedy back in Izu (which is confirmed by her school file), so that's why she decided to move away from her mother (who, apparently, was a respected geisha performer back in the day). The girl attends a new school, but she is withdrawn from the hustle and bustle of class-life. She is not even doing great during geisha training supervised by her aunt. Most of the time, Mugiko roams aimlessly through the streets of Tokyo with a vivid expression of bitterness on her face. It is only when classmates force her to participate in a school festival that Mugiko gets a hold of herself and decides to perform the traditional Yaoya Oshichi dance...

The Ugly Duckling
The film's enigmatic title can be roughly translated into English as "an unattractive woman" or simply "ugly". Interestingly, the main heroine (played by then up-and-coming actress Yasuko Tomita) is not by any means ugly. Having been petrified by past experiences (which are shown merely as quick and disjointed flashbacks), she is unable to seize the day and enjoy normal life. Mugiko is sad and withdrawn all the time. As a result, being BU・SU refers to the state of her mental seclusion from other people.

Jun Ichikawa plays out the story of Mugiko in an intriguing manner. The heroine does not experience some Murakami-like quirky adventure or process her trauma. Instead, little by little, she learns that the world is not entirely rotten and chaotic. At school, she becomes friends with a bullied student (Yuriko Hirooka) and an aspiring boxer, Tsuda (Masahiro Takashima). In addition, through her dance training, Mugiko also gains the acceptance of her aunt. Consequently, Ichikawa attempts to communicate a message that no matter how bad things are, there is more to life than just staying bitter.

On the whole, the film unexpectedly becomes a poignant and peaceful slice-of-life flick. The sequences that really stole my heart were the ones of Mugiko roaming through Tokyo of the Bubble Era. We get to see Ginza as well as the famous Shibuya Crossing, accompanied by catchy City Pop songs.

With regard to performances, I have known Yasuko Tomita mostly from her supporting roles in dramas, but she absolutely shines in BU・SU. In a lot of ways, she reminds of Kimiko Ikegami and her dramatic performances. I definitely need to check out more of Tomita's early movies. Honourable mention goes to Michiyo Okusu as the aunt. With her reservation and tranquillity, the actress really makes this character stand out.

Recommendations
If you are in the mood for non-violent/peaceful drama, then BU・SU is the film for you. I was pleasantly surprised by the film's warmth and subtlety when the end credits rolled in. Definitely give it a try during a quiet, wintery night. Overall score: 8/10

«Enjoyed this post? Never miss out on future posts by following us»