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Regus London Film Festival 2002 |
Dolls |
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Alan Docherty |
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Takeshi Kitano, actor, screen writer, director, novelist, poet, painter and stand-up comedian is one a very few cultural figures in Japan who has made an impression in the West. Since Boiling Point was released in 1990 his colourful and imaginative films have appealed to audiences both in Japan and abroad. His new film, however, is unlikely to appeal to anyone. Dolls, I am reliably informed, pays homage to Chikamatsu, the doll theatre’s greatest dramatist. Homage is one thing, but what we get is a medley of tragic love stories drowned in symbolism and juxtaposed with some puppetry. Even though Kitano's film is beautifully shot he seems to have forgotten that there is more to film (as in moving pictures) than just visuals. The biggest problem with Dolls is it's unremitting seriousness and gloom. While Kitano has demonstrated a talent for making that films with universal appeal many years he seems to have lost the plot with Dolls. Even his most violent gangster films contained comic elements to contrast with the brutality of the Yakuza. Dolls is an earnest attempt at I-don't-really-know-what and by end of the film no-one will really care.
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