Departure

This film depicts the last night three High School graduate friends spend together before going their separate ways to continue their studies. One is going to London for two years, another is headed to Tokyo for four years to go to university, and the last is staying on the island of Okinawa, South of the Japanese mainland, where the three of them grew up. The film follows the movements of the three young men as they attempt to tie up the loose ends in their love lives while they have a chance.

The screenplay shows no regard for traditional storytelling; in fact there is really no story to speak of at all - the film is simply a fly-on-the-wall look at the events of one particular night. There is no drama, no suspense, no good characters and bad characters, no humour, little conflict, and little emotion. This makes the film refreshingly pleasant but ultimately boring. The lack of emotion was somewhat surprising considering the subject matter of the film - it seems to me that the director deliberately underplayed the emotion in order to avoid being emotionally manipulative - but she ends up going to the other extreme and creating a complete emotional vacuum. Given that the characters are all at crossroads in their lives, one would have expected some reminiscing, or speculation about the future, and at the very least some emotion at being separated, but this film has none of these things.

This is a perfect example of the sort of formless, introspective cinema that, sadly, give non-mainstream films a bad reputation. The film has that sense of poignant austerity about it that seems to characterise films of this type - the prolonged periods of silence and the long delays between the lines of dialogue give this film a profound air to it, which is not backed up by any substance. Get a subtitled version of this film and watch it in fast-forward; perhaps then it would run at a reasonable pace.

The austerity is punctuated by a couple of livelier scenes - one is a prolonged shot of the main character riding on his motorcycle accompanied by an absurd bouncy soundtrack, and another is a completely incomprehensible incident in which the main character is chased to a playground by two anonymous characters. These two unnamed young men are hardly more anonymous than the three main characters, however, since the film hardly gets a chance to develop them at all. Since we only see one night of their lives, at the end of the film one is left feeling as thought we hardly know them any better than when we first met them. The characters are likable nevertheless, and could have been interesting had they been developed properly.

For me the best part was the end section, which was set the following day - mainly because of the beautiful scenery. There is a prolonged scene showing the main character and some of the scenery, which is probably meant to have some profound meaning but which just ends up looking like a video clip for the music that goes over it. Seeing Okinawa in daylight made me curious about what life is like there, but the film gives few insights. The final scene is an utterly vacuous piece of symbolism involving a seashell that the main character retrieved from the sea in a flashback sequence at the beginning of the film. This utterly hollow and disappointing ending - which the film does not even attempt to explain the meaning of - is indicative of the pseudo-artistic nature of the film.

While the film cannot be recommended, somehow there was still something I liked about it. I liked the characters and the island and I wanted to know more about both. If the film had've simply been a study of the characters and their lifestyle then it may have worked in its own way, even without suspense, conflict, drama or humour. As it is, it simply does nothing. Films like this are to cinema what atonality is to music - both break all the well-established rules of their respective art forms in the guise of advancing art, when really all they do is subvert it.

The Japanese film "Departure" is a timely reminder that a film about teenagers and their relationships need not be saturated with vulgarity to make an impression on viewers.

Three teenagers on the island of Okinawa are preparing to go their separate ways after finishing high school. The trio decide to split up on their last night together to tie up various loose-ends in their lives, mostly involving their partners/would-be partners.

What really makes this film work is the mature and honest manner in which director Yosuke Nakagawa portrays her teenage protagonists. Her three leads are genuinely concerned about the effects their life moves will have on those close to them. Unlike a large number of American films with similar themes, there are no high voltage hysterics, just a quiet sense of apprehension and fear, but at the same time hope and new opportunities. Also, at only 80mins of running time, "Departure" certainly does not overstay its welcome.

The most touching story of the three I feel is that of the young man with the older girlfriend. Despite their age and social gap (she is employed and pays for their holidays), both treat each other with a great degree of dignity and compassion. However, tonight he must break the news to her that he is dreading; that in under 24 hours he must leave her to go to Tokyo for further education for the next 4 years. The film's sympathetic viewpoint to both of these characters and their resolution is quite endearing.

Films like "Departure" are a real treat. A film involving youth which does not condescend to the typical stereotypes of teen film is a rarity in today's market, and for this reason "Departure" deserves a great deal of praise and wider recognition.

8/10.