Mr. Hayashi

After the bewilderingly simple but relaxing 'All My Life (1966),' I was interested in checking out some more of Bruce Baillie's work. 'Mr. Hayashi (1961)' is an exquisitely photographed 3-minute short film that is in need of some more depth. Hardly experimental at all, the film briefly follows the plight of the titular Mr. Hayashi, an Asian immigrant gardener who has recently arrived in America, and needs a job. The beginning of the film carries the title "Mr. Hayashi. Gardening Work. $1.25 per hour. Contact Canyon Cinema," suggesting that the short was actually an advertisement that Baillie was good enough to film for the unemployed Hayashi. In this case, the film's lack of depth is more understandable; however, there was still some great potential behind this man's story, and that it was inadequately explored is certainly something of a disappointment.

What I liked about 'Mr. Hayashi' is how it drew a portrait, however brief, of a simple man with a great story. Experimental filmmakers often admired the "normal people" over the celebrity; Ed Emshwiller's 'George Dumpson's Place (1965),' for example, was about a lowly African-American craftsman (that the film itself wasn't very interesting is a different matter). On a gentle and foggy day, we watch Mr. Hayashi go about his gardening, finding emotional fulfillment in his work, and not just because it provides financial security. There's a calm and serenity to be unearthed in the soft soils of the garden, in the warm glow of sunlight seeping through the overcast sky. Wherever he is now, I hope that Hayashi did find steady employment. I suppose that's the appeal of films such as these, that they present us with the lives of people whom we know nothing about, and whose futures will always been unknown. If you can uncover a copy of 'Mr. Hayashi,' it's well worth a look.