Bizan

This movie offers an excellent storytelling. The masterful direction and excellent play of the actors conveyed very well the complex emotions of the characters. Although very similar to Himiko's House, the thematic of the movie is not as clearly identifiable as it was in Jozee, The Tiger and the Fish (handicapped people can live a normal life) or Himiko's House (homosexuals are good people too). I guess, in this case, the story is too complex to pin-point the thematic on just one subject.

The movie is above all about a daughter coming to terms with the difficult relationship she had with her mother (who she thought didn't love her very much--she thought her mother was simply selfish) as she learn that her mother is dying of a metastasized pancreatic cancer. Having also discovered her mother dearest secret--the identity of her father--she tries to bring them together one last time before her mother's death.

The movie seems to promote the beautiful region of Tokushima, where the Bizan (Eyebrow) Mountain is located (I wouldn't be surprised to see that the regional tourist board financed part of the movie). It also seems to promote organ donation and the idea of giving one's body to science after death. However, I would be curious to know if the Dreamgrass Foundation mentioned in the movie really exist or if it's fictitious.

Screened on 2007/08/30 at 17:40 in the Quatier Latin 15. The show was almost sold out, with an attendance of about seventy-five people (it was shown in a small theatre).

Reviewed by Claude J. Pelletier

For more information:    MWFF entry   /    IMDB entry   /    Official Japanese website.