Well, I just saw my first Japanese film [Sasayaki (2000) USA] that showed Japan just as I viewed it last year - the landscape, the city, country, rice patties, trains, canned soda dispeners and the natural hot spa. In essence, a motion visual that in one or more of the 1200 digital images that I captured, had an equivalent that my eye saw as meaningful to my CY2000 trip. I even went to a local high school and took pictures of a martial arts training of local youth in southern Japan.
The only thing missing from my trip was the basic content of this film - its story.
This is a coming of age story with a tinge of Japanese politeness and tradition in social introduction, just skewed by a few years in time backwards to the American experience - perhaps into the 60's when sex during high school was the daring thing to do and then talk or brag about.
As a coming of age story, the script and acting maintains a balance of innocence and exploration as the theme dances around sadomasochism in an increasing eddy that entraps the next experience.
The beauty of this film is its innocence and its honesty in portraying the boundaries of sexual experience and an obsession that can bind innocence into something more permanent outside of those first sexual experiences and beginnings.
It is not a fearful film to watch, but simply a difficult film to describe without creating fear in its next, potential viewer. As the film ends, there is still an essence of innocence and beauty and love between the boy and girl.
