Tokyo! is a collection of 3 short films shot by 3 directors (two from France and 1 from Korea) using Tokyo as the setting. Fittingly, each of the films focuses on characters who are outsiders within Japanese society.
“Interior Design”, directed by Michel Gondry, is a funny and whimsical coming of age story that cleverly toys with the notion of identity and the path to personal fulfillment. Akira, an aspiring filmmaker, and Hiroko, his supportive but aimless girlfriend, have moved to Tokyo to pursue their dreams. They bunk in a friend’s apartment temporarily while Akira sets up film screenings and Hiroko spends her days trying to find an affordable apartment. Her apartment hunting exploits result in some hilarious scenarios that will be familiar to anyone who’s tried to find a decent apartment in a big city.
Realizing that he can’t make a living as an artist, Akira confronts Hiroko about her lack of direction. He believes people are defined by what they do. Forgoing his dream of filmmaking for the moment, Akira finds work as a gift wrapper while Hiroko undergoes a very unusual transformation that takes the idea of “defined by what you do” literally.
“Merde”, directed by Leos Carax, is a semi-parody of the “monster run amok in Tokyo” story that explores themes of xenophobia and terrorism. It is the weirdest and the least engaging of the three films. The monster here is a shabby green-clad, one-eyed foreigner named Merde who lives in the sewers of Tokyo. He emerges each day to inflict havoc among the Japanese – one day he’s merely a pest who pushes people on the street, knocks them down and makes off with their possessions. The next day he’s killing innocent bystanders with grenades. Captured by the police, he confesses that hatred of the Japanese is what drove him to kill. Tried by a jury, he is sentenced to death. While awaiting his death sentence in prison, he becomes a sort of national hero to the non-conformists while the conservatives condemn his actions.
The premise of this story is an interesting one and the film starts with promise but ultimately fails to deliver much of an emotional connection as the central character is relentlessly unlikeable and the scenes set in the prison are rather tedious.
“Shaking Tokyo”, directed by Bong Joon-Ho, is a visually beautiful love story between two recluses (known in Japan as “hikikomori”) that underscores the human need for connection. The story focuses on a young man who has confined himself to his apartment for 10 years. One day a delivery girl arrives with his weekly pizza just as a small earthquake occurs. The girl faints and while tending to her, he falls in love. Desperate to see her again, he summons up the courage to venture outside to find her and discovers that all of Tokyo’s residents have become recluses.
This is a sweet film that is enhanced by its excellent cinematography and lovely views of Tokyo’s quiet back streets. The haunting image of the man walking through the deserted Tokyo streets as he searches for the girl’s home lingers and serves to underscore the isolation and loneliness that one might feel in the concrete jungle.
