Mysterious girl On August 13, 2015, 28-year-old Ichiko Kawabe runs away from the house where she lived with her boyfriend. The day before, he proposed to her and the girl looked genuinely happy. What could have caused such behavior? Suddenly, the police discover that Ichiko never existed. But there's Tsukiko Kawanabe... So in the investigation there is another mystery – another of the many waiting ahead.
The creation of director Akihiro Toda, an adaptation of his own play of the same name is an acutely social melodrama with shades of detective. What does it mean to live in Japan without a family register, to be on your own all the time and not be able to count on anyone, to hide your past from the law and not exist for it in principle? Here and identity substitution, and domestic violence – childhood trauma, and a genetic disease with shades of autism. It seems that everything was mixed up, but gradually everything is lined up in a clear picture of what is happening. But if the motive of Tsukiko – Ichiko becomes clear, then the role of those around him – the knowledgeable and the ignorant – changes with the speed of the wind. One of the witnesses turns into a suspect, the other from victim to criminal, and very soon everything is mixed with the appearance of the third. Despite the fact that the story develops very slowly and is not filled with events, the characters are well drawn - they are here the main highlight and center of what is happening.
The creators as the plot develops reveal more and more shocking details, radically changing the attitude to what is happening and the heroes themselves. As we interview those who have ever interacted with this girl (whoever she is): friends from elementary school, boyfriend and friend from the older, failed groom from the present – the viewer is constantly thrown on the timeline in 1998, 2005, 2008, 2010 and finally 2015. Sometimes long flashbacks, sometimes only seconds. And each time you need to be extremely careful, because they can both reveal missing details and throw new ones. Therefore, this is not a film that you can watch while doing extraneous things.
However, the plot really drags, as you have already understood, not so much events as the nature of what is happening and the reaction of others. A vivid example of what Sergey Eisentstein called “intellectual cinema” is an ambiguous, provocative, thought-provoking film where everyone can come to their own thoughts. It was very important for the actors to properly show the depth of their heroes, get used to their fate and convey it. Hana Sugisaki in this regard was simply magnificent. The young actress convincingly played both mischievous, dreamy, unbroken Tsukiko, and broken by fate, but carefully hiding her secret Ichiko. I remember the actress from the melodrama “Perfect World” (2018) with a similar social overtones, where her character was in love with a wheelchair-bound guy. Again, it is not events that matter, but the reaction of others.
In an interview, director and author of the play of the same name, Akihiro Toda, admitted about the origin of his idea: At the time, I was quite active on social networks and noticed that some of my friends, even though they died, still had a profile where many people still left comments. Some of them were birthday wishes because friends didn't know the man was dead. It seemed strange to me, because this person is no longer with us, but at the same time he is quite present for some people. At the same time, I learned about problems with koseki (Japanese family register system). The lack of registration meant that the country or law did not consider you a family. I began to think about the lives of these people and, step by step, built this story about a young girl who is not registered and what her life should be like.
Of course, the film will not find a mass audience, and it is not designed for this. I think Ichiko will appeal to those who are looking for a plot for thought. Enjoy your visit.
7 out of 10