Japan Spirit World is unique as it features a blend of local cinema-style elements, of course, minus most of its problems.
It has been a hit-and-miss venture for Asian filmmakers working with European actors and their works have often resulted in questionable collaborations. This is why watching Singaporean Eric Khoo collaborate with Catherine Deneuve is such a delight. Maybe it’s because, in contrast to “Spirit World” she is only a part of the whole.
We will start from the very beginning. Yuzu is an old man who is nearing the end of his life, which consists of work, drinking, and listening to records of his favorite French singer, Claire. Around the same time, she is also coming to Japan for a concert, despite her not being in the best psychological state. Yuzu dies, and Claire also dies after the concert, but not before Yuzu’s son, a depressed filmmaker named Hayato, attends the concert as a tribute to his father. Strangely enough, Yuzu and Claire meet in some sort of afterlife and take a trip along with Hayato, who is on his way to meet his estranged mother without any clue that they’re tagging along.
While watching the film “Spirit World” it is evident that the movie places a lot of weight on its cast, probably more than on their acting. In fact, the spirit of the film takes form around the lives of the actors, and that in itself, creates a whole new meta-level to the movie. For instance, Masaaki Sakai who plays Yuzu is a Japanese actor, singer, and even martial artist known to English-speaking audiences as the titular star of the television series “Monkey”. He was also in the surf band, the Spiders and with his abilities, quite literally shaped the narrative. He was the story. As for Catherine Deneuve, at the age of 81, it’s fair to say she bears a striking resemblance to Claire and the character’s internal struggle on whether her work still has the magic of her younger self is a common stage for older performers. Lastly, Yutaka Takenouchi as Hayato, a blockaded filmmaker, can be seen as Khoo’s alter ego, who has not made a film since 2018. “Ramen Shop” was his last.
Nonetheless, the family drama that evolves into a multi-layered road movie is perhaps the finest element of the narrative, especially in how the story motivates and ultimately resolves. In essence, Yuzu is traveling to meet the idolized artist whom he adored but had never spent time with; this serves as an ‘afterlife’ mentorship role for him. Claire is traveling in order to acknowledge her death, and in doing so, rediscover the version of herself that she lost by neglecting others due to her career focus. Finally, Hayato is traveling in hopes of recovering from the grief and trauma he suffers because of how his parents treat him.
In this manner, Khoo discusses the issue of trauma the often strained relationship dynamics of the famous parents with their children, the role of inspiration, and a fair number of other topics within rich context.
Undoubtedly the film could have easily devolved into an unrestrained sob fest, but Khoo’s direction prevents this from happening by adding humor into crucial moments, some of which are even metatextual. For this reason, one cannot help but chuckle at the way Denden plays his role towards the end of the film, and Yuzo’s reaction to their arrival is equally funny.
Adrian Tan’s cinematography portrays the different locations realistically, without particular emphasis, although some seaside shots are certainly picturesque. The editing by Matthieu Laclau gives the film a rhythm that lies between slow and mid-tempo, which suits the narrative beautifully. Additionally, in the movie’s other traits, it’s wonderfully succinct at 93 minutes a runtime which allows it to remain ‘clean-cut’ without feeling like it overstays its welcome.
The performance level is as high as one can expect, with Deneuve and Takenouchi being captivating, and Maiya Goshima as the interpreter is a delightful addition. However, Masaaki Sakai, in this case, stands out for all the wrong reasons, as he seems to overact excessively, which is even more pronounced in a film that largely lacks such styling.
In any case, this is but a small problem. Overall, Spirit World is an excellent film, particularly because it manages to feel truly Japanese, incorporating many aspects of local cinema, albeit without most of the fundamental problems.
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