The Determination out of Laziness

電影課的一個小作業影評，獻醜了。於2014香港電影節觀看，那天正好是大專生放映會，有嘉賓在電影之後和大家討論了一下。（已上傳至turnitin...)

The Determination out of Laziness
Film Review of Tamako in Moratorium

The comedy film Tamako in Moratorium is the latest production of the Japanese director Nobuhiro Yamashita, released in 2013. Starting filmmaking in the 90s, Yamashita is good at telling stories about 「slacker」 with a sense of humor. Atsuko Maeda, the former leader of the popular Japanese group AKB48, plays the protagonist Tamako in this film. Her acting creates a sharp contrast between her idol image and her character.

A jobless 23 years old girl, Tamako, who has just graduated from college, is staying at home with her father and doing nothing but sleeping and eating. Her father not only runs a sportswear store, but also takes charge of all the households』 chores. Everything seems to be the same for a long time, but life is always changing and unexpected. Tamako begins to look for a job and her father tends to date a single woman. Both of them are going to make up their

As a whole, this film is peaceful and pleasurable. Instead of telling something special, it records the life of a young woman throughout a years』 time. The plots unfold just like water flows naturally, without too much waves. It is difficult to tell the exact reason or time that Tamako make her decision, because it goes through a gradual process rather than a sudden turning. This is a successful film constructed by lots of exquisite details and gentle humor. Sharing the similar experiences like wandering around at home and facing the ambivalent relationship with family, this film strikes a sympathetic chord with me.

My first impression is that many scenes in Tamako’s daily life are repeated in the film. However, the differences in details are what obviously stand out and grab my attention, while the repetitions effectively expose Tamako’s 「slacker」 status at home. Static shots frequently applied establish a sense of peacefulness with laziness (Caldwell, 71), and let the audience have a look at the setting. The scene, which Tamako’s father opens the sports store every morning and sets the light and the carpet, is repeated several times indicating several mornings. Once the camera focuses on the store entrance again, the audience knows that he is going out to put everything ready for the business. However, for the last time, it is Tamako who goes out and arranges everything. Within the same setting, the differences easily show up. The askew light box and carpet Tamako settles, which also makes the audience laugh, depict her unfamiliarity and transformation from moratorium.

Another impressive issue the film portrays is the father-daughter relationship. Tamako, in her 20s, ought to be independent, but she still relies on her family, acting like a child in front of her father. Several scenes put Tamako and her father quite symmetrically in medium shots. It signifies the harmony between them (Wallis, 82), but implies they are drifting apart simultaneously. When they are having dinners, medium close-up shots with reverse shots magnify the father’s complicated emotional undercurrents—love, tolerance, helplessness and expectation. It is also interesting that some key information is not given directly. Knowing Tamako is hunting a job, her father buys her a present. It remains unseen to the audience for a while so that I become increasingly curious and wonder why. Later in spring, Tamako’s father gets to know a single woman who works as a teacher in handwork class. Again, she is kept unseen, until Tamako goes to her class herself. It reveals Tamako can only get to know her 「possible step mother」 in person. The present represents the father’s expectation and encouragement. The single woman hints that her father is going to achieve his own happiness. The significances of both the present and single woman for the father-daughter relationship are emphasized by the lack of counter shots.

The slacker’s daily life and the conflicting connection with the family both echo to the young generations』 situations today. The minimal camera movements, the dim yellow light and Tamako’s loose clothing all reflect the relaxing and lazy status of staying at home, which I can identify with. Tamako’s father expects her to leave home for her independent life while he also likes her being aside. People who become parents would understand that complicated emotion, especially single parents. On the other side, similar with my own experience, Tamako needs time to sort out her mind to decide the direction for her future career, though she seems doing nothing. Since the emotional dependence on family probably contradicts with the ambition for a future career, this a period of time and process that most young people, including the director, have to go through.

Overall, I recommend this warm and exquisite film to young people in struggling and parents who may not understand their children.