Movie Review
This movie has nothing going for it at first glance.
It is set in Japan in the 1950s. The dialogue is in Japanese, although there are English subtitles. The movie is filmed in dowdy black and white. The story is about a boring old man working in the Japanese government. There are no spells cast, no soldiers fighting it out, no weapons, no hot babes , no red or blue pills, no...
This old man works in the Japanese government. In the 1950s, bureaucracy was very much the order of the day for the Japanese administration. What I mean by bureaucracy is that tasks get 'jumped' from department to department because each department is seeking to evade work. In modern terms, it means 'dodging arrows'. Hmm it seems that this movie might still be relevant to the modern Singapore context after all...
This old man, he has not taken leave for 30 years. When he has a flu, he bravely comes to the office to work nevertheless. He is the section chief of a public affairs department. One day a young female employee of his tells a joke. "Do you guys know why civil servants do not dare to take leave? It is not because they want to impress their superiors. It is because they are afraid that when they take leave, people will realise that without them around everything still functions well, that they are in fact useless..." The whole office erupts in laughter, but this old man does not laugh because there is a creeping feeling in him that acknowledges that this joke is actually true for him.
What does this old man do everyday? Everyday he picks up his stamp and 'chops' on documents all day long. Whenever the citizens ask him to do something, he will just refer them to another department. He is busy all day long, but bored, because he isn't really doing anything. He's just pretending to be busy. The busy bureaucrat.
A bunch of villagers come into the office with a request to make. There is a very disgusting swamp in their village, they say. It is a health hazard because it breeds a lot of mosquitoes. Can the public affairs department do something about it? This old man says to them, er, this is the wrong department, please head over to the Engineering department, thank you!
One day, this old man finds out that he has stomach cancer. In those days, stomach cancer means you die within six months for sure. There was no cure. The realisation strikes this old man. He has not really been living for the past 30 years. Everyday, he just goes to his office to work. For 30 years. For what? To earn money to care for his son. But his son is already married and does not give a damn about his father, except lusting after his will when the old man dies. The old man's wife died many many years ago. So what has this old man been doing in the past 30 years? He had died 30 years ago.
This stomach cancer is like a death sentence to him. But the threat of death actually wakes him up. Now, he wants to live a life before he dies. But what does living a life mean? How? What is considered a proper life? (The good life???)
Is it hedonism? He becomes a spendthrift. He drinks to his heart's content. He visits nightclubs and woos hot babes. (Ok so there are some hot babes in this movie) He visits strip clubs and gets turned on. He plays jackpot in a casino. (Again, you can see how relevant this movie is to our current context) But he gives up on this route one day. It is not the answer. Such a life did not seem fulfilling to him, although people had recommended to him how wonderful such a life was. He was lost all over again.
He wanders along the streets. He is going to die, and the helpless wait 'makes everything appear black to him' and 'strangles him constantly'. On the streets he meets the young female employee who told that joke. "Hey boss", she calls out to him. "You haven't been coming to work for days! What's up man. But I need your help. I'm quitting! I found a new job. Need you to settle some admin stuffs for me."
"Why are you quitting?" the old man asks.
"Because life in the government is too boring.. it's so suffocating I could die." came the chirpy reply.
And this old man takes a good look at this girl. She is so cheerful and positive about everything. She is young, and her most apparent trait is that the essence of life in her is so very strong. She is truly 'alive'. This old man thinks that if he could, even for just a few months, live like this girl, he would die without regrets. But how does he become like her? Why is she always so happy? What was her secret? He keeps asking her out and treating her to meals, hoping to find out the secret. But he can't find anything.
They have a lot of fun together, but the girl starts suspecting the old man likes her and confronts him. The old man tells her the truth. He is a dying man trying to be truly alive, he sees her as an inspiration for him and just wants to be able to live life like her before he dies. She is surprised and tells him there is nothing special in what she does either. She reveals that in her new job, she makes toy bunnies in a factory. She says she finds fulfilment in making them because she feels that she is making a lot of children happy with her work. The old man is incredulous and feels he has come to a dead end. "Making bunnies?? That is all?" he wonders helplessly. The girl does not know how to help him either but she suggests: "Maybe it's in the making bit. I make things. Maybe if you could make something too, you would be happy."
The old man wonders what he can make in his boring and stale job. But suddenly, an idea springs in his mind, and he runs off, leaving the girl behind wondering what he is going to do...
Still can't tell what is so special about this movie right? Haha. It is yet another one of those 'meaning of life' movies. Basically its message is not to get so caught up in our daily routines that life becomes meaningless. Try to do things with a passion. Or find things to do that you have a passion for. If the system sucks, please stand up to it. Always evaluate your quality of life. And don't waste time over the petty things. As the old man said, "I have no time to be angry with people anymore." because he has only six months left to live. But at least, he was very much alive for those six months. Are we?
Ok ok here is a better review than mine...
It's brilliant how we find nice movies that get better and better. For now, goodbye 2046 and hope for even more better ones to come!
It is set in Japan in the 1950s. The dialogue is in Japanese, although there are English subtitles. The movie is filmed in dowdy black and white. The story is about a boring old man working in the Japanese government. There are no spells cast, no soldiers fighting it out, no weapons, no hot babes , no red or blue pills, no...
This old man works in the Japanese government. In the 1950s, bureaucracy was very much the order of the day for the Japanese administration. What I mean by bureaucracy is that tasks get 'jumped' from department to department because each department is seeking to evade work. In modern terms, it means 'dodging arrows'. Hmm it seems that this movie might still be relevant to the modern Singapore context after all...
This old man, he has not taken leave for 30 years. When he has a flu, he bravely comes to the office to work nevertheless. He is the section chief of a public affairs department. One day a young female employee of his tells a joke. "Do you guys know why civil servants do not dare to take leave? It is not because they want to impress their superiors. It is because they are afraid that when they take leave, people will realise that without them around everything still functions well, that they are in fact useless..." The whole office erupts in laughter, but this old man does not laugh because there is a creeping feeling in him that acknowledges that this joke is actually true for him.
What does this old man do everyday? Everyday he picks up his stamp and 'chops' on documents all day long. Whenever the citizens ask him to do something, he will just refer them to another department. He is busy all day long, but bored, because he isn't really doing anything. He's just pretending to be busy. The busy bureaucrat.
A bunch of villagers come into the office with a request to make. There is a very disgusting swamp in their village, they say. It is a health hazard because it breeds a lot of mosquitoes. Can the public affairs department do something about it? This old man says to them, er, this is the wrong department, please head over to the Engineering department, thank you!
One day, this old man finds out that he has stomach cancer. In those days, stomach cancer means you die within six months for sure. There was no cure. The realisation strikes this old man. He has not really been living for the past 30 years. Everyday, he just goes to his office to work. For 30 years. For what? To earn money to care for his son. But his son is already married and does not give a damn about his father, except lusting after his will when the old man dies. The old man's wife died many many years ago. So what has this old man been doing in the past 30 years? He had died 30 years ago.
This stomach cancer is like a death sentence to him. But the threat of death actually wakes him up. Now, he wants to live a life before he dies. But what does living a life mean? How? What is considered a proper life? (The good life???)
Is it hedonism? He becomes a spendthrift. He drinks to his heart's content. He visits nightclubs and woos hot babes. (Ok so there are some hot babes in this movie) He visits strip clubs and gets turned on. He plays jackpot in a casino. (Again, you can see how relevant this movie is to our current context) But he gives up on this route one day. It is not the answer. Such a life did not seem fulfilling to him, although people had recommended to him how wonderful such a life was. He was lost all over again.
He wanders along the streets. He is going to die, and the helpless wait 'makes everything appear black to him' and 'strangles him constantly'. On the streets he meets the young female employee who told that joke. "Hey boss", she calls out to him. "You haven't been coming to work for days! What's up man. But I need your help. I'm quitting! I found a new job. Need you to settle some admin stuffs for me."
"Why are you quitting?" the old man asks.
"Because life in the government is too boring.. it's so suffocating I could die." came the chirpy reply.
And this old man takes a good look at this girl. She is so cheerful and positive about everything. She is young, and her most apparent trait is that the essence of life in her is so very strong. She is truly 'alive'. This old man thinks that if he could, even for just a few months, live like this girl, he would die without regrets. But how does he become like her? Why is she always so happy? What was her secret? He keeps asking her out and treating her to meals, hoping to find out the secret. But he can't find anything.
They have a lot of fun together, but the girl starts suspecting the old man likes her and confronts him. The old man tells her the truth. He is a dying man trying to be truly alive, he sees her as an inspiration for him and just wants to be able to live life like her before he dies. She is surprised and tells him there is nothing special in what she does either. She reveals that in her new job, she makes toy bunnies in a factory. She says she finds fulfilment in making them because she feels that she is making a lot of children happy with her work. The old man is incredulous and feels he has come to a dead end. "Making bunnies?? That is all?" he wonders helplessly. The girl does not know how to help him either but she suggests: "Maybe it's in the making bit. I make things. Maybe if you could make something too, you would be happy."
The old man wonders what he can make in his boring and stale job. But suddenly, an idea springs in his mind, and he runs off, leaving the girl behind wondering what he is going to do...
Still can't tell what is so special about this movie right? Haha. It is yet another one of those 'meaning of life' movies. Basically its message is not to get so caught up in our daily routines that life becomes meaningless. Try to do things with a passion. Or find things to do that you have a passion for. If the system sucks, please stand up to it. Always evaluate your quality of life. And don't waste time over the petty things. As the old man said, "I have no time to be angry with people anymore." because he has only six months left to live. But at least, he was very much alive for those six months. Are we?
Ok ok here is a better review than mine...
It's brilliant how we find nice movies that get better and better. For now, goodbye 2046 and hope for even more better ones to come!
posted by darren at
5:31 pm
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