Japanese Story (2003)

Well-intentioned, bit of a misfire

From the cover: "Collette, propelled by a beautifully understated script, digs deep to deliver the performance of her career." True enough. Understated, and not always deliberately.

"The film oscillates between a cross-cultural journey," Yep

"an emotional drama," Not so much

"and a haunting love story" Kinda dumb love story, actually

"while director Sue Brooks catches her audience off guard as she takes us down an unexpected route." Most definitely

So why am I giving it only 3 stars? Well, that's a whole lot easier to explain than why it won 8 Australian Film Institute Awards. It's an okay little movie, not all that.

We begin with a well-grounded little group of characters in Australia and throw in this silent Japanese guy. You could argue it's a Toni Collette showpiece or you could argue it's a great ensemble cast, and either way you'd be correct. The interactions are played very well, understated, mercifully free of stereotyping, well thought out, and wholly consistent with what I've seen living in Asia since 1999. It's realistic, it's well-written, it's clever, it has subtle humor, and the acting is top-notch.

Then comes a romance which is, I'm sorry to say, much too predictable. If someone made a movie where the cross-cultural romance didn't happen, THAT would be unpredictable. A few stereotypes creep in here, which we'll call "lazy writing" and just move on.

Then the unexpected direction. Oh yeah, eventually the film throws one hell of a curve ball our way. It could happen, it can happen, and sometimes it does happen, but you don't expect it in this film. Nice one!

After that, well, it seems to lose its way. My wife, who is Australian, thought it was an attempt at humor that misfired. I don't agree. I think they just had no idea where to go after that unexpected change of direction, almost as if they'd surprised themselves and couldn't recover. One reviewer thought it lost all momentum after the Land Rover scene, but I think it picked up momentum remarkably well after that, only to lose it here.

If you have seen the movie, I could use a metaphor here that would also serve as a plot spoiler, so for those who haven't seen the movie, I won't use the metaphor. Is that clear as mud? Good.

In the end, it's a 100-minute movie, and we were well past the 60 minute mark before I thought it got lost. Excellent acting throughout, a lot of fine writing for the most part, and some breathtaking scenery like you wouldn't believe.
July 29, 2008

Lost in Translation -- only better.

Every Toni Collette fan has "The Japanese Story" in his library, but for the rest of you: buy or find a copy of this DVD before it's too late. These kind of movies tend to disappear over time. It's a chick flick with some of the most stunning outback scenery since the Apple Macintosh Promo "From Alice To Ocean" many years ago. The screenplay has a "Lost in Translation"- feel but is more subtle, more subdued. July 26, 2008

Decent enough film though lacking some credibility

The film has a lot going for it: good acting and lots of beautiful background shots of Australia. There are a few things I just didn't get. Why does an experienced geologist drive into the outback after she tells the inexperienced tourist/investor who wants to go there that there are no roads? Doesn't she have the sense to say no?

How does she not have enough knowledge of Japanese to understand what her guest is saying on his cell phone but has enough knowledge of the language to speak to his wife at the end of the film?

Why does she get the hots for him?

What really causes the tragedy?

Yes, there are a few loose ends, but the acting is good, the soundtrack is interesting (if a bit overplayed), and the secondary actors (Baird, the racist boat rower) are really convincing. I'm still working on whether it reinforces more stereotypes than it tries to examine, but there are enough cheap copies of this film out there that it's worth the gamble. The worst case scenario is that you'll think about it and write a review. August 23, 2007

Pretty slow, not much substance

I could not quite figure out what this movie was shooting for.

If it was supposed to be about cultural or wealth differences between two countries overcome by the similarities between their individual inhabitants, then it hardly offered any fresh perspectives. We get a glimpse of the Japanese man's stressful life back home and a hardly novel observation that Australia offers open spaces while Japan is cramped with no room. Not exactly ground breaking stuff.

If it was supposed to be about unexpected love between two randomly put together characters, then it weakly glossed over some crucial developments. All of a sudden, we are to believe that the Australian woman is in love with the Japanese man. So hasty is this metamorphosis, that the sex scene seemed like a mere physical act between a man and a woman who have decided, "what the hell, we might as well have sex while we're stuck out here in the Outback." This lack of development spoiled the intimate mood that the beautiful music attempted to portray.

If it was about the breath-taking beauty of the Australian wilderness, then maybe it is deserving of its critical acclaim; however, this goal is better accomplished through a National Geographic or Discovery Channel show.

High marks for acting and cinematography but not enough to overcome a feeble story. June 11, 2007

Collette's good but that's about it.

The only reason I bought this movie is because Toni Collette is in it and I am a big fan of hers. Plus the movie got good reviews so I figured it couldn't miss. I was wrong. This film is very boring and very slow and from what I can tell relies on one shocking unexpected moment and some good acting from Collette to make it a good movie. It's not nearly enough. Collette is good but it is not her best work. The japanese leading mans performance is average at best. I don't want to give away what happens but I didn't really believe the level of the 2 main characters relationship warrented the reaction we got.

Some good points about the film are Collette, one very enexpexted scene that took me very much by surprise, and the fact that we get to see Collette naked! And yes she looks good.

So if you're a big Collette fan like me you might want to see this but I wouldn't expect much. Collettes best work that I've seen is "The Night Listener". April 5, 2007

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