Friday, January 6, 2012

Day 261 - Floating Weeds

Floating Weeds (1959) directed by Yasujiro Ozu




In the very opening moments we see a lighthouse. Through multiple cuts we see the same lighthouse but from different positions and angles. Each shot could be framed and hung on your living room wall. On a purely artistic level, Floating Weeds deserves an A+. It is one of the most visually compelling movies I've ever seen. The camera never moves once, not a single pan or tracking shot, just fixed shots pieced together with simple cuts. Each composition is carefully thought out and precisely shot. Pause the movie on any one frame and you'll have a perfectly composed picture. While watching any particular scene consider how many times Ozu had to cut, reposition his camera, cut again, and reposition again and you'll realize the amount of thought that goes into each shot let alone each scene. There is always something interesting, if not beautiful, to look at. And I haven't even begun to talk about the story yet.

Ganjiro Nakamura and his traveling theatre troupe go into a small seaside village to perform during the summer. But there is another reason why the troupe is in town; Ganjiro performed here once many years ago and has a son there. Ashamed of his status as a lowly actor, Ganjiro has always told his son Kiyoshi that he is his uncle. Kiyoshi's mother and Ganjiro's former mistress, Oyoshi, has gone along with the plan all these years content that he is at least part of their lives. When Sumiko, Ganjiro's current mistress, finds out that he has this secret life that he lies about she grows angry and jealous and sets out to cause problems for him.

Sumiko confronts Ganjiro at Oyoshi's house where she is rebuked rather coldly by him. In a great scene, the two argue on opposite sides of a street in the rain. They pace back and forth on their ends spitting vitriol towards each other. The rainy street that divides them is representative of the emotion in the scene.

Ganjiro's well laid plans begin to crumble and we realize that he is kind of a bastard. I couldn't believe his ego and stubbornness. How can he be so callous and dismissive to the women in his life? (He loves to use the words slut and whore and slap women around.) How can he just show up out of the blue and try to be a father to Kiyoshi and expect him to accept him? Ganjiro is no saint and actually kind of deserves what he gets. While there is some sugarcoating and somewhat unrealistic sentiment, I like how Ganjiro does not get off so easy and that things don't magically fall into place for him just because he suddenly realizes he was wrong. It is sentimental but also realistic.

Floating Weeds is a masterfully crafted and moving film.

Grade: A

No comments:

Post a Comment