Airport 2013 [Film Review]

Airport 2013; or, Mind Your Business!
     Everyone has their own secrets. Is there someone who doesn't have one in this world? But, They didn't lie out of ill-will, they lied to protect the family.
Director Koki Mitani is such an underrated filmmaker. Almost every enthusiast of Japanese Cinema marvels at the visual finesse of Takeshi Kitano, Takahi Miike, or Hirokazu Koreeda (and quite rightfully so), but Mitani’s movies often seem to slip by the general mainstream. I, for one, had a hard time tracking down this little TV movie he made titled Airport 2013.

Release Info

Directed by: Koki Mitani Starring: Yuko Takeuchi, Katsuhisa Namase, Misuzu Kanno, Joe Odagiri

Language: Japanese Original Title: 大空港2013 Runtime: 100 min

Synopsis
Chigusa Okouchi (Yuko Takeuchi) is a ground staff officer at a small Matsumoto airport which mainly handles local airlines. Nevertheless, an airplane bound for Tokyo forcefully lands in Matsumoto due to bad weather over Haneda airport. Until the meteorological conditions clear up, Okouchi has to take care of passengers who wait to resume their journey. In the course of her assignment, Okouchi will unravel lots of family secrets and conspiracies that will lead to many hilarious incidents.

Regarding Okouchi
My only wish is that I could have discovered this gem of a movie much earlier. Koki Mitani does not present a disaster scenario as in Airport 1970 or a happy-go-lucky take on how airlines operate as in Happy Flight (2008). Rather than that, the viewers are presented with a day in the life of a diligent ground staff worker who carries tough responsibilities on her shoulders.

Initially, you may think that Okouchi has to deal with a family of degenerates, but all of them are vibrant personalities who turn out to be extremely likable in the end. Okouchi’s interactions with each character are so amazing and the dialogue is so witty!

What is more, it has to be mentioned that the whole film was shot at one take… Yes, all 100 minutes are not interrupted by cuts. Shinichiro Ueda and Sam Mendes should learn from Mitani how to handle this difficult art of filmmaking like a boss! Evidently, the director’s theatre background gives the film yet another dimension of charm. With the camera constantly following our protagonist here and there, you really get the feeling as if you are watching a stage play!

With regard to the performances, I know Airport 2013 is only a TV production but it has such an A-list cast! The magnificent Yuko Takeuchi, Katsuhisa Namase, Erika Toda, Misuzu Kanno, Teruyuki Kagawa, Masahiro Komoto, and Joe Odagiri as phony Casanova! All of them are absolutely brilliant. I was rolling on the floor laughing at such scenes as the grandfather’s confession, the casting interview, and Joe escaping in a drag!

Recommendations
If you want to experience a heart-warming and motivational story exploring tough day at work and difficult family relations, then Airport 2013 is the sure-fire choice for you. You can never go wrong with Koki Mitani and his storytelling style. In addition, the movie is a marvelous showcase of Yuko Takeuchi’s talent. It’s such a shame that this great actress is no longer with us. Overall score: 10/10

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Adrift in Tokyo (2007) [Film Review]

Adrift in Tokyo; or, Toddling Along

     Happiness creeps into you so quietly that you don’t notice… but misfortune arrives abruptly.

I vividly remember the first time when I saw Adrift in Tokyo (or Tenten, to be exact). The movie made my smile and filled my disheartened mind with the much-needed dose of optimism. Now is the time for me to revisit this great film after a whole year and share my thoughts on the slow-paced walks through Tokyo.
Release Info

Directed by: Satoshi Miki Starring: Tomokazu Miura, Joe Odagiri, Kyoko Koizumi

Language: Japanese Original Title: 転々 Runtime: 100 min

 

Synopsis

Takemura (Joe Odagiri) is a college student who, in some unknown way, accumulated 840,000 yen in debt. One day, he is visited by a debt collector, Fukuhara (Tomokazu Miura) who threatens him and sets the deadline for Takemura to return the money in three days. The day before the deadline, Fukuhara presents Takemura with the following deal: accompany him during his Tokyo walks anywhere and for as long as he wants, and in return, Takemura will get 1 million yen. Takemura reluctantly agrees and goes with strange Fukuhara.

 

“Was there something good these few days?”

First of all, I should point out that Adrift in Tokyo is not an experimental movie, although it certainly has this indie aura around itself. It starts off in a wacky way, similar to Survive Style 5+ (2004), when Fukuhara attacks Takemura. However, the quirky nature of their walks through Tokyo gradually comes into the spotlight. I wouldn’t call this movie a straightforward comedy. Rather, it is a funny slice-of-life picture about strange guys having strange adventures within the urban cityscape.

 

Yasujiro Ozu would have probably turned the premise of Adrift in Tokyo into something akin to The Before Trilogy, but the director Satoshi Miki engages the viewers into the story by creating colourful characters who gradually open up to each other and share their past experiences. This is not Crime and Punishment, but a simple tale of a guy reminiscing about his wife and a student who never had a father.

 

Because 90% of action is happening outside, the cinematography is just beautiful. I love how the camera pans through the backstreets and alleys of Tokyo as Fukuhara and Takemura are waking together. The camera is not fixed in front of them (the Before Trilogy flashbacks), but travels next to the characters, as if inviting the viewers to tag along.

 

However, the movie is not completely consumed by Fukuhara and Takemura, because the supporting characters are even quirkier than them. For example, they meet a cosplayer, angry mat dealer, aspiring painter, and a fake wife, to enumerate just a few. In addition, there is a little side story about three co-workers who are searching for Fukuhara’s wife. Oh! Ittoku Kishibe also shows up… as Ittoku Kishibe, the famous actor whose sighting will bring good luck :)

 

With regard to performances, Adrift in Tokyo was my first introduction to both Joe Odagiri and Tomokazu Miura and now I can’t think about them separately. Miura is brilliant in crime/police dramas, whereas the unconventional Odagiri does a great deal of various genres in cinema and on television. The two actors have a perfect chemistry together and they really sell the friendship that forms between Fukuhara and Takemura, even to a point that I got teary-eyed towards the end. Kyoko Koizumi and Yuriko Yoshitaka also deserve praise as Fukuhara’s eccentric “relatives”. Additionally, Eri Fuse, Ryo Iwamatsu, and Yutaka Matsushige(!) appear as the three co-workers. Apart from Ittoku Kishibe popping up here and there, Akiko Kazami also has a great cameo appearance in the concluding scene. I just love this cast!

 

Recommendations

All things considered, Adrift in Tokyo is a heart-warming story about discovering happiness and finding our close ones even in complete strangers. The movie had me laughing out loud a couple of times, but it also moved me incredibly. Highly recommended to anyone who likes slow and peculiar stories with a big city in the background. I think that, every once in a while, each of us should go on a “strait” across Tokyo. We should find happiness even in the smallest things.

Overall score: 9/10