Sabu (2002)

Miike Takashi

Japan

122 min, color, Japanese (English subtitles)

Review © 2004 Branislav L. Slantchev

DVD courtesy of Artsmagic.

Based on the acclaimed novel by Yamamoto Shugoro (1903-69), this is a fairly untypical outing for the prolific Miike Takashi, all his posturing (in the interview) notwithstanding. Fans of Miike's outlandish, realistic, and humorless violence that characterizes many of his most famous films will be surprised at the quiet, almost elegiac, pace of this film. It is a story about the redeeming value of human kindness, friendship, and loyalty, and it is told, appropriately, in a meditative style where most of the "action" is in long takes and wordless facial expressions.

The two boys meet Nobuko	Nobuko (Tabata Tomoko)

Set during the Edo period, the story is about four young people. Eiji (Fujiwara Tatsuya of Battle Royale fame) and Sabu (Tsumabuki Satoshi, the lead in Waterboys) are childhood friends apprenticed at a designer's place. The two, appropriately, are very different. Eiji is quiet, dignified, and strong, while Sabu is prone to crying, artless, and loyal. One rainy day, the boys meet Nobuko (Tabata Tomoko) and while their encounter lasts a minute, their fates get inextricably linked.

The "Red Devil" at the camp	Eiji/Bushu endures in stoic silence

A decade passes, and one day Eiji is inexplicably fired after being sent to decorate a local bank. He is sent to the penal colony at Ishikawa Island and Sabu is left to wonder about the cause of his friend's sudden disappearance and the ominous silence of everyone around him. By chance, Sabu meets Nobuko who meanwhile had been sold into prostitution, like her sister before her. The girl's violent pimp Roku (Yamada Tatsuo) had sold Nobuko's older sister even though she had been in love, causing her to commit suicide. When Roku beats up Sabu, he gets arrested and sent to Ishikawa himself.

The beautiful Osue	Roku taunts Nobuko

As it turns out, Eiji has been framed by someone. Implicated in stealing an expensive brocade, he is sent to the island without so much of a chance to defend himself. The period setting is essential here for not only is Eiji unable to reach anyone who would listen to him, but his friend Sabu is forced to live under perpetual threat of being fired (and perhaps starving) if he looks too closely into the matter. The rigid social hierarchy, however, is unable to contain him as he goes in search of his missing friend.

Sabu delivers Nobuko from her pimp	Eiji: framed and kicked out on the street

The heart of the story is Eiji's transformation. He arrived on Ishikawa severely beaten, keeps a sullen face that provokes some guards and fellow inmates to attack him. To attacks of other prisoners, Eiji responds with vicious violence. His refusal to submit to the order of the camp makes him a target for the head guard Kojima (Yamada Tatsuo) who comes to hate him because he perceives him as arrogant. But Eiji's problem is not arrogance: it is hatred. Hatred of the ones who have unjustly imprisoned him. He has evolved an elaborate explanation of his demise: the banker's daughter had asked him to take her as a wife and her father, unwilling to see that happen, has arranged a convenient excuse to separate him from his daughter.

Roku attempts to frame Sabu	You have to promise to forget Eiji

Eiji perceives himself as ruined socially and sees only one road ahead: revenge. He will put aside his love for Osue (Fukiishi Kazue), he will destroy his friendship with Sabu because as far as he is concerned, there is no future but bloody vengeance that will inevitably end with his destruction. And here's where Yamamoto's story becomes an ode to the power of human friendship. Were this a typical revenge flick, Eiji would get out and wreak his revenge, then go down in the flames of his own making. Instead, he undergoes yet another profound transformation at the camp.

Osue	You cannot make a dead bird sing

While Eiji is correct about the trigger of the conspiracy against him (the decent proposal by the banker's daughter), he is wrong about the identity of the plotter. The cause of his wrongful banishment is the very woman out of love for whom he refused the marriage. Panic-stricken that Eiji might accept the tempting offer, Osue can only think about separating Eiji from her rival. In desperation, she frames Eiji so that he gets thrown out. It is unclear whether she has anticipated the likely course of events but in any case she makes no attempt to save him preferring instead to wait out the length of his punishment and then marry him when he comes out.

Her petty plot has lost him for her	Perpetually optimistic and steadfast

Love makes people do stupid things. It also makes them do cruel selfish things. Osue's jealousy goes further: she makes her first visit to Nobuko of whom she has heard from the guys. She wants to see her with her own eyes, ruefully concluding that Nobuko is indeed pretty. (My humble opinion is that Osue is prettier than all other women in the film but then again insecurity can creep up on everyone.) This visit, however, exposes her for the intuitive Nobuko divines the truth immediately.

Roku's deliverance	Violence is not the way

And what happens next? Nothing. The two women keep their shared secret. Nobuko even confesses to admire Osue's strength, presumably meaning her willingness to take a risk and stake everything on Eiji's love for her. But Osue has made a mistake for Eiji's love is overwhelmed by hatred. As he rages against injustice, he cares not a hoot about others, Osue included. Ruined by a woman's love, he would be redeemed by the unswerving loyalty of the simple Sabu, by the friendship of his fellow prisoners, by the grudging admiration of the guards, and by the ultimate sacrifice of the evil Roku.

Can you smell the chrysanthemums?	The truth is more shocking than conspiracy

Despite being told to stay away by Eiji and despite losing a string of jobs, Sabu persists in visiting his friend at the island, dreaming of their future together. He even contrives to lie to Eiji, to incriminate himself in the setup, endure the beating, and thereby save Eiji from committing a crime in his revenge. Eiji gradually awakens to human suffering and compassion as he protects weaker inmates, and even saves Roku's worthless life despite the latter's effort to frame him in yet another theft on the instigation of Kojima. This act of pity changes Roku profoundly and leads him to save a woman from a burning house and then to leap into the flames, atoning for Nobuko's sister's death.

Heizo overhears his daughter's confession	Begging for forgiveness

When Eiji returns to civilian life, Sabu is prepared to accept the punishment but Osue finally breaks down and confesses her crime. In a particularly moving scene she begs Eiji to forgive her for the three years in exile and not kick her out. In the final sequence, Eiji faces his redeemer Sabu: he knows he owes his salvation to him, and he knows Sabu still thinks Eiji believes the fake story. Sabu acts out the contrition and Eiji, unable to tell the truth, and overwhelmed by this ultimate act of sincere friendship strikes Sabu once before they collapse, sobbing, into each other's arms. The story is oddly reminiscent of Mizoguchi's masterpiece Sansho the Bailiff, where a man is transformed by the kindness and sacrifice of others.

Despite the few violent fights, the film is contemplative and Miike's direction of this jidaigeki is free of his penchant for time-warped sequences, rapid-fire cutting, and frenetic editing. Instead, we have careful compositions and complete reliance on the actors to deliver the serious drama. By and large they succeed. Even though all performances were good, Fukiishi Kazue's love-torn Osue takes center-stage in every scene. She is racked by guilt and unable to overcome the fear of losing Eiji until the very end. The confession scene is extremely emotional and my heart sank at the thought that Eiji might abandon her. A truly nice performance to cap this excellent film.

The Artsmagic DVD brings an anamorphic 1.85:1 picture with stunning colors and vivid contrast. Despite being shot for TV, this is a 35mm film, and the transfer does it justice. There are many indoor scenes and I saw no compression artifacts in the dark spots. The English subtitles are excellent with only a handful of errors. There are some pretty neat extras too: short interviews with the stars and the director, a making of documentary, trailers, and an especially innovative gallery of promotional material translated in English. All extras are subtitled. A recommended DVD of an excellent film.

You can get the US or UK version of this spectacular DVD.

June 24, 2004