Here is a film that speaks evocatively of a certain recurrence which we all have to swim through in our life. Loneliness.
Why, oh why, is loneliness a long pause in silence? 'Tony Takitani', the Japanese film, which is based on the short story by Haruki Murakami is one hell of a trip toward the end of the night. Everybody, no matter how happy the person is, will someday or the other, feel a ball of emptiness rolling up and down his stomach. There's just nothing tangible that can wash away the feeling. It's as if a cloud heavy with rain has disappeared into thin air without wetting the ground. But in this film, the cloud seldomly appears and that's what makes 'Tony Takitani' a one of a kind.
Jun Ichikawa's protagonist Tony Takitani is a simple man who has learnt to shake off socialization. He's a regular guy who eats alone and works alone. He hardly pays a visit to his father. And when he does, their conversations are brief. An unhesitating awkwardness occupies the space between the two of them after their conversation has ended. His father (played by Issey Ogata) and Tony (also played by Ogata) are two sides of the same coin.
How can loneliness be set aside? If the answer is company, well, look at what happens to Tony when he marries. Eiko, a young lady, enters his blank canvas. He falls in love with her and even marries her. Their life is far from perfect though. Eiko is a shopaholic. She buys a dress in no time whenever she spots a new one. Such is her passion for clothes that an entire room had to be turned into a closet.
Tony is not appreciative of his new-found affection for another person because his mind is still not ready to accept the fact that he's not alone. He has a fear of being stripped off of that comfort. The initial 'what if' phase dulls his efforts of truly embracing the relationship. When that phase slowly stars to take a backseat, Eiko, leaves the world. Tony is back to the place from where he started.
Meanwhile, his dad dies and he employs an assistant who resembles his dead wife and a day or two later, asks her to forget he employed her and carry on with her life.
Watching this film made me want to assure myself that I have people around me, and hey, I'm not lonely in my dreams, too. But really, what if those people, some day, vanish all of a sudden? Will I feel like an empty can of jam? My body, like the can, and thoughts, like the smell of jam, yet nothing at all to dig into.
Oh, that's scary!
Go on, go on, take a dig into 'Tony Takitani' to savor the rarity in cinema and be thankful that you are not a reflection of Tony.
Review by Karthik KeramaluOther Related Posts
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Filed under Drama, Foreign
Tagged as drama, Haruki Murakami, Issey Ogata, Loneliness, movie review, review, Review of Tony Takitani, Rie Miyazawa, Tony Takitani, Tony Takitani Review
