|
Hanging GardenDirected by Toshiaki Toyoda, 2005 By Alyce Wilson Hanging Garden (Kûchû teien) was directed by Toshiaki Toyoda, who also directed Nine Souls, a metaphysical prison break movie. The film is exquisite, beginning as a deceptively sweet family drama about a cheerful, seemingly perfect family. As the film progresses, it becomes apparent that they're all keeping secrets from one other and none of them, not even the apparently Martha Stewart type mother is, indeed, perfect. The film stars Kyôko Koizumi, who appeared in Survive Style 5+, and Itsuji Katsuji, who was in Nine Souls. The two are the parents of a dysfunctional family. Daughter Anne Suzuki also appeared in Nine Souls. Toyoda uses a lot of subjective camera angles, with lots of sweeping side to side shots reminiscent of a pot in the family's hanging garden swinging. These shots become more prevalent as the family teeters towards disaster and secrets start to emerge. The symbolism is so rich in this movie that viewers could watch it several times and still pick up on new things. One strong theme is that of Babylon, where people talk in different languages and none can understand each other. The family's apartment building resembles Medieval depictions of the Tower of Babylon, a building looking almost like a tiered wedding cake, with large balcony gardens. The rich subtext consists of repeated images, visual motifs and dialogue, and Toyoda relies on the viewer to make connections. He succeeds to the degree that the viewer can often tell exactly what's motivating the characters in a scene, without dialogue being necessary. Like Nine Souls, this movie focuses on the importance of redemption and of love, in this case familial love. In many ways, it's a stronger movie than his first, as the balance between humor and drama is more subtly interwoven. Unlike the teetering family it depicts, this is a well-balanced film.
|
