Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on July 2010 This column has long championed Hirokazu Kore-eda as the best Japanese filmmaker working today, so Torso—the directorial debut by longtime Kore-eda cinematographer Yutaka Yamazaki—aroused much anticipation. Somewhat akin to the American movie Lars and the Real Girl (about a man in love with a life-sized doll) or, on […]
This column has long championed Hirokazu Kore-eda as the best Japanese filmmaker working today, so Torso—the directorial debut by longtime Kore-eda cinematographer Yutaka Yamazaki—aroused much anticipation. Somewhat akin to the American movie Lars and the Real Girl (about a man in love with a life-sized doll) or, on the home front, Nagisa Oshima’s Max Mon Amour (about a woman in love with a monkey), this flick offers a portrait of Hiroko (Makiko Watanabe), who finds love and companionship with a mannequin. By eschewing all human contact outside of work (though she’s pleasant to her colleagues), Hiroko clearly represents the alienation so pronounced in modern Japanese society. Her sheltered world is shaken up, however, when half-sister Mina (Sakura Ando) moves in after escaping her abusive boyfriend. While Torso does offer an intriguing portrait of abused women, Hiroko’s later transformation is largely unexplained, making this a well-crafted but less than fully satisfying experience. (103 min)
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